Climate Study in the Clouds

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE — After a series of delays, a pair of NASA satellites blasted off early Friday on a mission to study how clouds affect weather and climate.

A Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the CloudSat and CALIPSO satellites launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc shortly after 3 a.m.

Once in orbit, the satellites will join the “A-Train” constellation -- a trio of environmental spacecraft surveying Earth’s atmosphere. The A-Train includes NASA’s Aqua and Aura satellites and the French PARASOL spacecraft.

CloudSat and CALIPSO are equipped with advanced instruments that can view clouds in 3-D. Scientists hope the enhanced view will help illuminate how clouds and airborne particles known as aerosols affect air quality and influence weather and climate changes.