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 On June 20th. 2008. A Delta II rocket roared off the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base. California. 

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 The 12:46 a.m.. pacific time. liftoff began the Ocean Surface Topography Mission. or OSTM. as part of the Jason-2 spacecraft. 

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 The satellite is in an orbit that will let it scan 95 percent of the world's ice-free oceans every 10 days from its low Earth orbit. 

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 Like its predecessor satellites. Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1. OSTM/Jason-2 is extending the climate data record by providing a long-term survey of Earth's oceans. 

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 It tracks circulation patterns. measures sea-surface height and the rate of sea-level rise. which are
critical factors in understanding climate change. 

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 An international science team of more than 200 investigators will use data obtained from the 

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 satellite's instruments to study the world's ocean and its effect on our society. 

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