SCIENCE SPACECRAFT LAUNCH SUCCESS

There's been hardly any mention in the media of an important success for the European Space Agency yesterday. The Cryosat-2 spacecraft was launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. Cryosat-2 will make precise measurements of the extent and thickness of the ice at both poles. Submarine surveys indicate that the Arctic ice thickness below the waterline may have reduced by about 40% since the 1960s.

The successful launch was specially poignant for scientists; hopes were dashed in 2005 when the first Cryosat mission failed at take-off.

Cryosat-2 will be gathering data of polar ice cover for ten years or longer.

The measurements will make an important contribution to our understanding of how melting polar ice could affect ocean circulation currents and the global climate.