WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Workers at Launch Pad 17A on Cape Canaveral Air Station prepare for the delicate task of hoisting the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft and its upper stage booster to stack it atop the Delta II launch vehicle that will loft the spacecraft on its interplanetary journey. Tucked safely inside the protective canister shown here, the Surveyor was transferred from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility on KSC to the Cape, completing the final Earth-bound leg of its journey into space. The Mars Global Surveyor is the first of two U.S. missions to Mars scheduled for launch from Launch Complex 17 this year, with liftoff to occur Nov. 6 at the beginning of a 20-day launch period. In December, the Mars Pathfinder will follow the Surveyor on a journey to the Red Planet.