SpaceX Awarded Two EELV-Class Missions from the United States Air Force

[Uncle Joe]

3. Good the Earth will finally get a full length mirror, perhaps this will raise

humanity's consciousness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Space_Climate_Observatory

Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) (formerly known as Triana, unofficially known as GoreSat) is a NASA satellite proposed in 1998 by then-Vice President Al Gore for the purpose of Earth observation. It is intended to be positioned at the Earth's L1 Lagrangian point, at a distance of 1.5 million kilometers. At this location it will have a continuous view of the sunlit side of the Earth.

The satellite's original purpose was to provide a near-continuous view of the entire Earth and make that live image available via the Internet. Gore hoped not only to advance science with these images, but also to raise awareness of the Earth itself, updating the influential The Blue Marble photograph taken by Apollo 17.[1]




Image of Earth from space, Galileo spacecraft, December 11, 1990


In addition to an imaging camera, a radiometer would take the first direct measurements of how much sunlight is reflected and emitted from the whole Earth (albedo). This data could constitute a barometer for the process of global warming. The scientific goals expanded to measure the amount of solar energy reaching Earth, cloud patterns, weather systems, monitor the health of Earth's vegetation, and track the amount of UV light reaching the surface through the ozone layer.

The Bush Administration put the project on hold shortly after George W. Bush's inauguration.[2]

Thanks for the thread, bananas.