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Summary NASA is set to launch its latest Earth-orbiting satellite on a $424 million mission to analyse airborne grit spewed by volcanoes, forest fires, smokestacks and tailpipes.
The Glory satellite is slated to blast off before dawn Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Taurus XL rocket. Once boosted to an altitude of 440 miles, it will join a fleet of satellites that has been collecting climate data for years. Its main job will be to study fine airborne particles known as aerosols. Smaller than the diameter of a human hair, these ubiquitous specks can track great distances across the globe and are largely responsible for producing hazy skies.
