Get involved: MAVEN blast-off to Mars!

LASP News

Get involved: MAVEN blast-off to Mars!

MAVEN is scheduled to launch on November 18, 2013 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V-401. MAVEN will be the first mission dedicated to understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. (Courtesy ULA)
MAVEN is scheduled to launch on November 18, 2013 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V-401. MAVEN will be the first mission dedicated to understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. (Courtesy ULA)

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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