The first of two of NASA's latest Mars missions got underway with a launch from Cape Canaveral Friday afternoon, December 11.

Mars Climate Observer (MCO) lifted off at 1:45:51 pm EST (1845:51 UT) on a Boeing Delta 2 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. No problems were reported with the launch. The Delta 2 placed the spacecraft onto a Mars trajectory, and the spacecraft successfully separated from rocket 47 minutes after launch.

The launch was delayed one day when a problem was found with MCO's software. A bug in the software designed to monitor hardware problems could have allowed the spacecraft's batteries to overcharge and fail if a charge regulator failed and a backup not properly activated.

MCO is the first of two NASA missions that will be the latest to study the Red Planet. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in September 1999. It will monitor the Martian atmosphere and surface for one Martian year (687 days), including studying seasonal changes and the transport of dust and water vapor in the atmosphere.

The spacecraft will carry out those observations with two instruments. The Pressure Modulator Infrared Radiometer (PMIRR) will provide vertical profiles of temperature, dust, clouds, and water vapor content of the Martian atmosphere. The Mars Color Imager (MARCI) will provide daily wide-angle global views of Mars and medium-angle views of specific surface features.

MCO will also server as a communications relay for NASA's second mission, Mars Polar Lander (MPL). MPL, scheduled for launch January 3, will land in the south polar regions of Mars in December 1999.

The Delta 2 lifts off carrying the Mars Climate Orbiter on its journey to Mars.
(NASA)