NASA Launches Spacecraft to Mars Today: Watch Live

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft will take off for Mars today from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Liftoff is scheduled for 1:28 p.m. ET, but the two-hour launch window extends through 3:28 p.m. ET, weather pending

The space agency will stream a live broadcast starting at 11 a.m. ET with pre-launch commentary. You can watch the program in full here:

Live streaming video by Ustream

It will take MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) 10 months to reach the Red Planet, where it will study the puzzling atmosphere to understand why Mars is now a cold, icy desert rather than the lush, blue planet it once was billions of years ago Read more...