United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket first and second stages arrive at to the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center, or ASOC, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. There, the launch vehicle will begin processing for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft to the Red Planet.
MAVEN is being prepared for its scheduled launch in November 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: NASA/Kim Shiflett