NASA Launches Spacecraft to Mars: Watch the Liftoff

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft took off for Mars on Monday from Cape Canaveral, Fla. at 1:28 p.m. ET.

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

Determining why solar winds have scraped away Mars' atmosphere over time is crucial in understanding our own planet's fate, as Earth faces similar conditions. Throughout its year-long mission, MAVEN will orbit Mars, dipping in and out of various elevations in its atmosphere to collect samples. Read more...