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On this day in space! Aug. 12, 2005: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched
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Click for next articleOn Aug. 12, 2005, NASA launched its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission lifted off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V-401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (now known as the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station) in Florida.
Some of the best cameras ever launched into space are on MRO, and the spacecraft has taken some seriously amazing photos of Mars .
It also serves as a data relay station for other spacecraft on Mars that need to beam data back to Earth.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in the Hazardous Payload Service Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on July 20, 2005 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.