14 DAY TRIAL // As the newest NASA Earth-monitoring satellite soared to the sky this morning, October 28, a photographer was able to capture the entire fire arc that the Delta II rocket left behind as it headed towards Earth's orbit.
The delivery system carried the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite, which itself carries a suite of five scientific instruments. The spacecraft will benefit both short-term weather forecasts and long-term climate change observations.
The Delta II took off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), in California, blazing a trail of fire in the pre-dawn sky, as seen here. Mission Control is currently getting ready to put NPP through its calibration and validation procedures, before the spacecraft can begin returning useful scientific data.