A 127-foot (39 meter) rocket built and flown by United Launch Alliance blasts off at 6:22 a.m. PST (14:22 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California January 31, 2015. REUTERS/Gene Blevins
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - - An unmanned Delta 2 rocket lifted off from California on Saturday carrying a NASA satellite to measure moisture in the top layer of the Earth's soil, data to be used in weather-forecasting and tracking of global climate change.
Soil moisture is a variable that binds together all of the planet's environmental systems, scientists say. More precise data will enable forecasters and policy-makers to deal more effectively with drought or flooding in specific regions.
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