KSC01pp0649

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2, the bottom panels of the canister are already in place around the Mars Odyssey orbiter (right). Next to it is the cylindrical upper canister waiting to be attached. The Mars Odyssey is scheduled for launch at 11:02 a.m. EDT April 7, 2001, aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft will map the Martian surface in search of geological features that could indicate the presence of water, now or in the past, and may contribute significantly toward understanding what will be necessary for a more sophisticated exploration of Mars