joining us to explain the mission is pam conrad, the deputy principal investigator at the morse science laboratory. how significant is this mission? >> it is a significant mission, not just because it tells us something about mars, but gives us a look at the weather that you don't see from the surface of the earth or even by curiosity by the surface of mars. it tells us about space whether and what is happening. >> how will this orbit of work - until not land on the planet; correct. ? >> maven will circle the planet, going closer and further away. it's trying to understand what is happening when the strong energetic particles of the sun react with the gases at the marr shan atmosphere, breaking them apart, turning them into ions, breaking the molecules, letting the atmosphere escape. >> and talking about whether mars had an ocean or water in the past; correct? >> that's right. for mars to maintain liquid on the surface it has to there had a thickness of atmosphere and be warmer. now on the surface of mars we cannot maintain liquid water because of the thin as moss fear. to understand wh