Mars Odyssey Lifts Off for Mars

Explanation: Next stop: Mars. On Saturday the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral , Florida on a path to enter orbit around Mars in late October. Pictured above , a Delta II rocket lifted the robot spacecraft, located in the nose cone, off the launch pad, while a camera mounted on the side of the rocket took the inset picture. The Odyssey orbiter will map the locations of chemical elements and minerals , look for evidence of water , and measure the Martian radiation environment . These data will help NASA better determine whether life ever arose on Mars , better understand the climate and geology or Mars, and better plan for future human exploration . The spacecraft's name is a tribute to 2001: A Space Odyssey , an epic fictional story of future space exploration written by Arthur C. Clarke .