NASA Launches Satellite To Study Global Warming

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - NASA has launched a satellite on a 2-year mission to track carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

A Taurus XL rocket carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory blasted off at 1:55 a.m. PST Tuesday from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The carbon observatory is NASA's first satellite dedicated to monitoring carbon dioxide on a global scale.

Measurements collected from the $280 million mission could improve climate models and help researchers determine where the greenhouse gas is coming from and how much is being absorbed by forests and oceans.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.