WASHINGTON – The Red Planet is in reach: NASA says it is undergoing final preparations to launch a mission to Mars on Nov. 18.
The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission — or MAVEN spacecraft — is set to circle Mars and gather the most detailed information yet on the planet’s solar wind, the ionosphere and upper atmosphere, according to information NASA released Monday. The launch is set to happen Nov. 18 at 1:28 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
“The MAVEN mission is a significant step toward unraveling the planetary puzzle about Mars’ past and present environments,” John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington said in a news release. “The knowledge we gain will build on past and current missions examining Mars and will help inform future missions to send humans to Mars.”
Executing five “deep dip” missions will take MAVEN within 78 miles of the planet’s surface. The 5,410-pound spacecraft will arrive at Mars in September 2014, according to NASA.
Scientists say they hope to learn more about the history of climate change on Mars and gain insight into how it lost much of its atmosphere.
“Launch is an important event, but it’s only a step along the way to getting the science measurements,” Bruce Jakosky, principal investigator at the University of Colorado, Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics said in a news release. “We’re excited about the science we’ll be doing, and are anxious now to get to Mars.”
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