The State - News from Sept. 25, 1988

An Air Force rocket carrying a weather satellite capable of studying the depletion of ozone in the Earth’s atmosphere was launched successfully from Vandenberg Air Force Base, NASA officials said. The $54.5-million, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite was launched before dawn aboard an Atlas-E booster that rocketed into orbit over the Pacific Missile Range. A so-called “ozone hole” over the South Pole has raised concerns about increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The new satellite will replace one that has begun to malfunction after about two years in orbit, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.