WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver will visit Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo., on Monday, Oct. 15 to view the next spacecraft to launch to Mars and a part of the Orion vehicle that will carry astronauts farther into space than ever before.

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The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission will orbit Mars to explore how the sun may have stripped the Red Planet of most of its atmosphere, turning what possibly was once a planet habitable to microbial life into a cold and barren desert world. Lockheed Martin is building the spacecraft and will perform mission operations following launch.

Orion is America's latest human spacecraft that will usher in a new era of space exploration. It is designed to be the safest, most advanced spacecraft ever, and will be flexible and capable enough to take NASA astronauts to a variety of destinations, including Mars. Lockheed Martin is building the Orion spacecraft. The Orion heat shield is being built at the company's Littleton facility.

Garver will be available to speak with news media representatives following her tour of the MAVEN cleanroom and the facility where the Orion heat shield is being manufactured.  There will be a photo opportunity with Garver and Lockheed Martin officials while they tour the MAVEN cleanroom before her comments to reporters in front of the Orion heat shield. The event starts at 9 a.m. MDT (11 a.m. EDT).

Media representatives wanting to attend the event must call Gary Napier at 303-971-4012 or email him at gary.p.napier@lmco.com by 8 a.m., Monday, Oct. 15 to be badged into the facility. Journalists planning to attend must be U.S. citizens.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

SOURCE NASA