NASA ROCKET LAUNCH PRODUCES SPIRAL CLOUD OVER LAS VEGAS, 2003-01-12 (photo)

A spiral cloud is illuminated at sunset over the western Las Vegas, Nevada sky after NASA successfully launched a Boeing Delta II rocket carrying two Earth-orbiting satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California January 12, 2003. The rocket took the Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) into orbit to study the oceans and observe ice sheets on Earth's poles to determine if they are growing or shrinking. The $282 million project is scheduled to collect data for at least three years. The rocket was to also carry the $16 million Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer satellite (Chipsat) which will observe the glow of gasses that fill the space between stars. REUTERS/Ethan Miller EM