NASA is on a mission, but this one has more to do with earth itself than what lies beyond. The accompanying infographic shows a breakdown of the satellite it plans to use to measure carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere.

While the political jury is still out on global warming, a White House report shows that budget expenditures for clean energy technologies and other initiatives related to climate change increased by more than $2 billion from last year.

According to Science World Report, the NASA’s satellite can help scientists understand the processes controlling the gas in the atmosphere and improve the accuracy of claims. Whether the theory is true or not, this should provide global leaders with more answers.