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A mission to study ocean salinity - which blasted off in 2011 - came to an end June 8 when the spacecraft that carries NASA's Aquarius instrument malfunctioned. The Aquarius device proved it's possible to measure salinity from space. The mission had an expected lifespan of three years, and after three years and nine months in space, Aquarius's data is being used to better understand ocean activity and change, to enhance El Niño predictions, and display how precipitation and evaporation processes influence the saltiness of the ocean. [Source: Santa Barbara Independent]
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