• last week
On Dec. 18, 1999, NASA launched its flagship Terra satellite into Earth's orbit to collect data about Earth's changing climate.

Terra contains five different sensors that monitor Earth's atmosphere, lands, oceans, and radiant energy. The satellite takes several different kinds of measurements that reveal how Earth is changing over time. It also tracks the spread of air pollution. It lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a United Launch Alliance Atlas II rocket and is still in operation today.
Transcript
00:00On this day in space.
00:04In 1999, NASA launched its flagship Terra satellite into Earth's orbit to collect data
00:08about our planet's changing climate. Terra contains five different sensors
00:12that monitor the Earth's atmosphere, lands, oceans, and radiant energy.
00:16The satellite takes several different kinds of measurements that reveal how the Earth is changing over time.
00:20It also tracks the spread of air pollution.
00:24It lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a United Launch Alliance Atlas II
00:28rocket and is still in operation today.
00:32And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:36NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

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