NASA launches laser to scan Earth's polar ice caps

ICESat-2 is a NASA mission designed to measure polar ice heights with high precision. It uses the advanced Atlas system to send trillions of photons in six beams of green light, firing 10,000 times per second. This allows it to capture 60,000 measurements per second, providing detailed views of ice surfaces in Greenland and Antarctica. The mission aims to enhance our understanding of ice dynamics by measuring ice heights four times a year as the satellite orbits from pole to pole.

What new insight or understanding did you gain from this video?