
At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, dozens of photographers set up their cameras to capture the launch of the Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:02 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will orbit Mars after a 7-month journey, mapping the 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
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NASA ID
01pp0749
Date Created
April 7, 2001
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
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