VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CA - JANUARY 31: In this handout provided by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in a long exposure a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory onboard launches from Space Launch Complex 2, January 31, 2015 in Vandenberg, California. SMAP is NASA's first Earth-observing satellite designed to collect global observations of surface soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. SMAP will provide high resolution global measurements of soil moisture from space. The data will be used to enhance scientists' understanding of the processes that link Earth's water, energy, and carbon cycles. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)
