Members of the Division for Planetary Sciences are cordially invited to the launch of the MAVEN mission to Mars from Kennedy Space Center. The launch period begins Nov. 18, 2013, ten days before Thanksgiving. To begin the process of receiving the formal invitation form NASA, please read the extended information and enter the required information for your group. (The form itself is accessed at the bottom of the last tab at this website.) Each DPS member may bring up to five additional people. When completing the form, be sure to (1) enter Nick Schneider as your sponsor, (2) enter DPS as the sponsor connection and (3) use the same email address at which you received this message. Note that foreign nationals (including green card holders) are welcome at the launch but may not use the same signup form – please inquire via the email listed below. Launch guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and expenses. Note that there is a hard deadline of 15 July for submitting your information.

MAVEN stands for The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission which will explore Mars’ climate history by studying the planet’s upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind.

For more information about the launch, please carefully review the information link provided, then contact [email protected] with additional questions.