Mars spacecraft leaving Colorado

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft is about to leave Jefferson County and head to Cape Canaveral where it will be launched toward Mars in November.

MAVEN was open for viewing for the last time in its home state on Monday at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. It is set to be disassembled and shipped to Florida on Aug. 2.

According to the Denver Post , the project is NASA’s first mission to the red planet since the Mars Curiosity Rover made its harrowing landing on its surface nearly a year ago, producing public enthusiasm that MAVEN’s program leaders hope to harness.