Science & Medicine

MAVEN’s road to Mars

NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft launches at 1:28 pm ET Nov. 18 out of Cape Canaveral, Florida. The orbiter is NASA's first to explore the Martian upper atmosphere.

NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft launches at 1:28 pm ET Nov. 18 out of Cape Canaveral, Florida. The orbiter is NASA’s first to explore the Martian upper atmosphere.   (John Raoux / Associated Press)

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NASA is set to launch a new mission to Mars on Nov. 18. When it reaches the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the Martian atmosphere and help scientists figure out why it is so much thinner than they believe it was 4 billion years ago. These photos show MAVEN getting ready for its launch from Kennedy Space Center.

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