Posted by tourdemars to Reconnaissance Orbiter at August 12, 2005 09:15 AM

NASA’s latest robotic mission to further unlock the mysteries of the red planet, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), successfully blasted off Friday, a day after a software glitch had scrubbed its initial launch. The MRO was carried into space on an Atlas V rocket and is now on a nearly seven-month journey to Mars. "Surveying for the deepest insights into the mysterious evolution of Mars!" NASA commentator George Diller said after liftoff. The launch came just three days after space shuttle Discovery completed its mission.