NASA Commentator: "Three. two. one. engine start. liftoff of the delta rocket with
Jason-TIMED on an international mission to grow our knowledge of the oceans
and the upper atmosphere."
Just after dawn on December 07. 2001. a Delta II rocket launched the Jason-1 and
TIMED spacecraft on separate missions to examine the Earth in never before seen
detail. The Delta II rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Calif..
to put the two spacecraft into a polar orbit.
The Jason spacecraft trained its sensors on the ocean surface to measure wave
heights and collect other critical data over time. Comparing the results. scientists
have determined how the Earth's waters have changed. Jason-1 was planned
as a 5-year mission. but continues to build a database for scientists.
The TIMED spacecraft. short for Thermosphere. Ionosphere. Mesosphere
Energetics and Dynamics. carried sensors to detect the way energy moves between
the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere. a region between 40 miles and 110 miles
above the Earth.
Originally planned as a 2-year mission. it remains in service.