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Delta II Launches Mars Global Surveyor
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla., Nov. 7, 1996 -- A Delta II rocket roared into the sky carrying the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft for NASA. The spectacular afternoon display took place at 12:00:50 p.m. EST, sending the spacecraft on its 10-month voyage to the Red Planet. "Delta rockets have launched more than 70 scientific missions with NASA," said Darryl Van Dorn, Director of NASA and Commercial Delta programs. "We continue that partnership with Mars Global Surveyor and the upcoming Mars Pathfinder mission." Mars Global Surveyor is the first of two NASA spacecraft to be launched toward Mars in 1996 aboard a Delta II rocket. The Mars Global Surveyor holds a set of sophisticated remote-sensing instruments to study the Red Planet's surface, magnetic fields, mineral composition and atmosphere, creating a global portrait of Mars.
Photo Credit: Boeing Photo - Carleton Bailie