KSC-05PD-1980

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - At NASA Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, one half of the fairing for CALIPSO_CloudSat to cover CALIPSO_CloudSat is being raised to a vertical position. It will then be lifted into the mobile service tower, or gantry. The fairing encloses and protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites and together will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites in the A-train constellation to enhance understanding of our climate system. Launch of CALIPSO_CloudSat aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for 3:01 a.m. Sept. 29.