KSC-01PADIG-183

The only clouds seen on a perfect Spring morning are the clouds of smoke and steam erupting from the launch of a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket carries the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, beginning its nearly 7-month journey to orbit the planet Mars. The spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will map the Martian surface looking for geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past. Science gathered by three science instruments on board will be key to future missions to Mars, including orbital reconnaissance, lander and human missions