The United Launch Alliance Centaur second stage is prepared for stacking atop the Atlas V first stage at Launch Pad 41.

In this overhead view at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the United Launch Alliance Centaur second stage is prepared for stacking atop the Atlas V first stage at Launch Pad 41 in preparation for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, mission.

MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch on Nov 18, 2013 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Positioned in an orbit above the Red Planet, MAVEN will study the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html Photo credit: United Launch Alliance