NASA’s next mission to the Red Planet, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), is in the final stages of preparation for launch. If all goes well, the spacecraft will lift off from Cape Canaveral atop an Atlas V on August 10, and begin the 7-month journey to reach Mars. MRO is carrying 6 instruments that will probe the planet’s atmosphere, surface and subsurface and provide the most detailed examination so far.