MAVEN travels to the stars and beyond

Military members from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., traveled on a C-17 Globemaster III to transfer the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission spacecraft to the Kennedy Space Center Aug. 2, 2013, at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. The MAVEN spacecraft will launch in late 2013 on an Atlas V launch vehicle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe/Released)

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MAVEN travels to the stars and beyond

Capt. Andrew Nigro, 21st Airlift Squadron pilot and native of Colorado Springs, Colo., checks his instruments inside a C-17 Globemaster III after landing Aug. 2, 2013, at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. The C-17 III performs strategic airlift missions such as transporting troops and cargo throughout the world (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe/Released)

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MAVEN travels to the stars and beyond

Tech. Sgt. Patrick Bloom, 21st Airlift Squadron loadmaster and native of Highlands Ranch, Colo., left, and Senior Airman Desiree Lemus, 21st AS loadmaster and native of Homestead, Fla., configure the back of a C-17 Globemaster III Aug. 2, 2013, at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. The C-17 can carry about 170,000 pounds of cargo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe/Released)

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MAVEN travels to the stars and beyond

Tech. Sgt. Patrick Bloom, 21st Airlift Squadron loadmaster, a native of Highlands Ranch, Colo., walks across the back of a C-17 Globemaster III Aug. 2, 2013, at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Military members worked alongside NASA Goddard and Lockheed Martin representatives to load the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission spacecraft into the C-17 to be shipped to the Kennedy Space Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe/Released)

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MAVEN travels to the stars and beyond

Senior Airman Desiree Lemus, 21st Airlift Squadron loadmaster and native of Homestead, Fla., ratchets cargo equipment into place inside a C-17 Globemaster III Aug. 2, 2013, at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. The crewmembers aboard the C-17, which includes four pilots, two loadmasters and one crew chief, flew the spacecraft to its final destination at the Kennedy Space Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe/Released)

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MAVEN travels to the stars and beyond

Senior Airman Desiree Lemus, 21st Airlift Squadron loadmaster and native of Homestead, Fla., left, and Tech. Sgt. Patrick Bloom, 21st AS loadmaster and native of Highlands Ranch, Colo., direct the movement of parts of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission spacecraft Aug. 2, 2013, at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. The MAVEN spacecraft’s goal is to make measurements that will determine the history of the Martian atmosphere. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe/Released)

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MAVEN travels to the stars and beyond

Tech. Sgt. Patrick Bloom, 21st Airlift Squadron loadmaster and native of Highlands Ranch, Colo., secures a part of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission spacecraft Aug. 2, 2013, at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. The MAVEN spacecraft is built out of aluminum and graphite and weighs 275 pounds. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe/Released)

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MAVEN travels to the stars and beyond

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission spacecraft is carefully loaded in the back of a C-17 Globemaster III Aug. 2, 2013, at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. After the MAVEN launches in late 2013, it will orbit around the sun for a 10-month mission before heading to Mars. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe/Released)

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MAVEN travels to the stars and beyond

Published Aug. 6, 2013