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Here at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, NASA is preparing to launch

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a spacecraft to study the upper atmosphere of the planet Mars.

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It's called MAVEN for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN.

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As MAVEN prepares to explore the Red Planet's atmosphere, its long journey began

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in the Rocky Mountains. Assembly of the spacecraft began in August of 2012

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at the Lockheed Martin facility in Littleton, Colo.

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Once assembly was complete, a C-17 aircraft delivered MAVEN to the Kennedy Space Center

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in Florida, touching down at the Shuttle Landing Facility on August second of this year.

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The spacecraft then was carefully transported to the spaceport's

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Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility.

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Inside the facility's clean room, MAVEN began weeks of intense pre-launch checkouts

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to ensure all its complex systems were working properly.

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The instruments and systems on MAVEN were tested repeatedly and the all-important

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solar array wings also were unfolded and thoroughly checked out.

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While orbiting Mars, the arrays will capture the sun's energy and generate more than 1,200

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watts of power for the spacecraft's systems.

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On Aug. 26th, the United Launch Alliance barge, Delta Mariner, arrived at Port Canaveral, Fla.,

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delivering the first and second stages of the Atlas V launch vehicle that will boost the MAVEN

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spacecraft into space for its 10-month trip to Mars.

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The Atlas V then was towed to the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center at the Cape.

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There, the rocket began processing prior to its trip to the launch pad.

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In the weeks leading up to launch, the Atlas rocket's first and second stages were stacked at

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Cape Canaveral's Launch Pad 41 to await arrival of the MAVEN spacecraft.

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The Atlas V was fueled during a "wet dress rehearsal" on Oct. 29.

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Before transporting the spacecraft to the launch pad, the processing team verified that

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MAVEN's crucial star-tracker guidance system was operating as designed and steering

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thrusters were fueled so the spacecraft can maneuver through space

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and arrive safely in orbit around Mars.

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At 37 and a half feet long and a fully fueled, weight of 5,400-pounds,

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MAVEN is about the size of a family sport utility vehicle.

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Once final checks were complete at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility,

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the satellite was encapsulated in its payload faring and prepared for the trip to the launch pad

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to meet up with the Atlas V vehicle.