Following a series of delays, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration‘s (NASA) Aura earth observation satellite finally was launched into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket at about 6:00 a.m. EDT. The satellite’s mission will be to provide data to aid in understanding how pollution is spread globally along with determining the status of the ozone layer and how the Earth’s climate is changing as the atmosphere is altered.