MAVEN go for launch...

A Launch Readiness Review ended this morning with NASA and contractor managers giving MAVEN the "go" for launch at 1:28 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 18, from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Today's review is the final mission review for MAVEN and its ride into space, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

The Atlas V was also cleared for the rollout to the launch pad Saturday. Teams have not encountered any significant technical issues or concerns for launch. Forecasters from the U.S. Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron predict a 60 percent chance of favorable conditions during the two-hour launch window.

The goal of MAVEN is to determine the role that loss of atmospheric gas to space played in changing the Martian climate through time. Where did the atmosphere – and the water – go?
 
MAVEN will determine how much of the Martian atmosphere has been lost over time by measuring the current rate of escape to space and gathering enough information about the relevant processes to allow extrapolation backward in time.