V - Z
type: Concept

VCL
type: Concept
in scheme: projects
definition: The principal goal of the Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL) mission is the characterization of the three-dimensional structure of the Earth. The two main science objectives are: 1)Land cover characterization for terrestrial ecosystem modeling, monitoring and prediction, and climate modeling and prediction. and 2)Global reference data set of topographic spot heights and transects. LAUNCH: Launch scheduled for Spring 2020 as of Launch Site: Kodiak Island, AK ORBIT: Altitude: 400 Inclination: 67 degrees VITAL STATISTICS: Weight: 430 kg Power: 388 watts Design Life: 1 years INSTRUMENTS: Multi-Beam Laser Altimeter (MBLA) For more information on VCL, see "http://www.geog.umd.edu/vcl/" For more information on the Earth Science Enterprise, see "http://earth.nasa.gov/"