Emily Lakdawalla • Aug 21, 2013
Photo gallery: MAVEN being prepped for launch
I often say that I don't pay much attention to space missions until they get shipped to their launch site. Well, it's time for me to sit up and pay attention to MAVEN. The Mars orbiter, which is scheduled to launch in November, arrived in Florida three weeks ago. The Kennedy Space Center does a terrific job of documenting every step of pre-launch preparations in photos through their website, the Kennedy Media Archive. Here are some great photos of MAVEN's arrival and processing.
First: Megalodon! No, wait, it's just a C-17 aircraft.
![MAVEN arrives at Kennedy, August 2, 2013](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x1792_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3171.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x1147_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3171.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x860_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3171.jpg 576w)
I wonder if the technicians at Kennedy feel like they're opening a Christmas present when they remove the shipping crates from spacecraft.
![Unboxing MAVEN, August 3, 2013 (1)](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x1792_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3190.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x1147_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3190.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x860_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3190.jpg 576w)
Like a matroyshka doll...
![Unboxing MAVEN, August 3, 2013 (2)](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x1792_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3200.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x1147_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3200.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x860_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3200.jpg 576w)
Carefully...
![Preparing MAVEN for assembly, August 3, 2013](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1606_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3210.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x803_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3210.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x514_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3210.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x385_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3210.jpg 576w)
That processing stand that they attached it to can be pivoted 90 degrees, putting the top face in reach to attach the dish antenna:
![Attaching MAVEN's high-gain antenna, August 9, 2013](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3258.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3258.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3258.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3258.jpg 576w)
Look on the back of that antenna and you can see the fancy shaped thermal blanketing they had to cover it with. Here's somebody taping that together. Yes, taping it.
![Wrapping MAVEN for space, August 9, 2013](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3252.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3252.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3252.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3252.jpg 576w)
The most recent photos, added to the gallery today, show them test-deploying the solar panels and inspecting their surfaces.
![Test-deploying MAVEN's solar panels, August 20, 2013](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3360.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3360.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3360.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_60_line/20130821_2013-3360.jpg 576w)
I wish I knew the name of the "technician" in this photo, but they never publish names or titles with the photos.
![Inspecting MAVEN's solar panels, August 20, 2013](https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_2400x1600_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3361.jpg 2400w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_1200x800_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3361.jpg 1200w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_768x512_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3361.jpg 768w, https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/web/assets/pictures/_576x384_crop_center-center_82_line/20130821_2013-3361.jpg 576w)
That's it so far. Keep watching the MAVEN gallery at the Kennedy Media Archive for more updates. I learned about the addition of those solar panel photos today via the NASA Launch Services Program Twitter feed.
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