UPI Pictures of the Year 2013 -- NEWS AND FEATURES

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) spacecraft undergoes final preparations at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida on September 27, 2013. MAVEN will be launched by a Atlas 5 rocket currently scheduled for a November 18, 2013 lift off. The Lockheed Martin spacecraft will orbit the planet Mars for one year after completing a ten month journey through space. The mission is to explore how the sun has effected Mars upper atmosphere and ionosphere. UPI/Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell