
UPDATE: MAVEN launched successfully on Nov 18, 2013, at 11:28 MST. For more information, please visit lasp.colorado.edu/maven.
The LASP-led NASA MAVEN mission is set to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket Nov. 18. The two-hour launch window extends from 11:28 to 1:28 p.m. MST. Liftoff will occur from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.
MAVEN is the first spacecraft devoted to exploring and understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. The spacecraft will investigate how the loss of Mars’ atmosphere to space determined the history of water on the surface.
Boulder–based MAVEN outreach events
The University of Colorado Boulder is sponsoring a number of MAVEN launch watch parties on the Boulder campus:
Glenn Miller Ballroom, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. MST
NOTE: This event is full.
K-12 students will enjoy hands-on activities, including a photo booth, and will have the opportunity to win MAVEN prizes.
Union Memorial Center 235, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. MST
LASP watch event begins at 11 a.m. MST
NOTE: This is an invitation-only event for LASP employees, colleagues, and invited guests.
Cape Canaveral–based MAVEN Education & Public Outreach events
The MAVEN Education & Public Outreach team, led out by LASP, is offering events to involve the public in the excitement of launch. As noted below, some are virtual events that those not attending launch at the Cape are invited to attend online.
Friday, Nov. 15
- Invisible Mars: Science on a Sphere Educator Workshop—9 a.m. EST at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Educator Resource Center
- Explore Mars Librarians Workshop—8:30 a.m. EST at the Courtyard Marriott, Cocoa Beach, Mercury & Mars Rooms
Saturday, Nov. 16
- Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore! Educator Workshop—9 a.m. EST at the Mexican Consulate in Orlando
- Invisible Mars: Science on a Sphere Educator Workshop—9 a.m. EST at the Kennedy Space Center SOS Theater, Astronaut Hall of Fame
- Explore Mars Librarians Workshop—8:30 a.m. EST at the Courtyard Marriott, Cocoa Beach, Mercury & Mars Rooms
Monday, Nov. 18
Online coverage
Launch coverage and briefings will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency’s website beginning at approximately 9:00 a.m. MST. For a full listing of coverage, please visit https://lasp.colorado.edu/maven/features-news/events/.
Join the conversation and follow the MAVEN launch online by using the hashtag #MAVEN on Twitter and Facebook at:
https://twitter.com/MAVEN2Mars
https://www.facebook.com/MAVEN2Mars
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