The U.S. space agency launched its newest Mars probe Monday on a mission to determine how the Martian atmosphere transformed the planet into the desolate wasteland it is today. The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) robotic spacecraft, called the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) probe, launched atop an Atlas 5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, starting a 10-month journey to Mars. "Liftoff of the Atlas 5 with MAVEN, looking for clues about the evolution of Mars through its atmosphere," NASA launch commentator George Diller said as the rocket climbed into a cloudy Florida sky. If the mission proceeds as planned, MAVEN should arrive at Mars on September 22, 2014, mission scientists have said.
