DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Now from the ocean floor to outer space. Inspired by the groundbreaking science-fiction work "2001: A Space Odyssey," NASA began its own Odyssey today, this mission to Mars an attempt to find life. CNN's John Zarrella has more on the launch from Cape Canaveral.</s>JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Launch day to Mars began with a perfect sunrise. For NASA, it was a good way to get the day started, and it was followed by a flawless countdown and liftoff.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 4, 3, 2, 1, we have ignition and liftoff of a Delta II rocket carrying NASA on an Odyssey back to mars.</s>ZARRELLA: A delta rocket gave odyssey its boost out of the atmosphere, as it began a six-month journey to the red planet. For the U.S. space agency's Mars program, the success of this mission is critical. The last two Mars missions, Climate Orbiter and Polar Lander, were total failures.</s>JIM GARVIN, MARS PROGRAM SCIENTIST: We have had more reviews per unit person time for our missions to deep space for this particular mission, for the Odyssey mission, than any we've had, at least for Mars, in the last 25 years.</s>ZARRELLA: Named as a tribute to science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, Odyssey is all about detective work. When it reaches Mars, the vehicle will go into orbit around the planet. The three primary instruments will scan the Martian surface, examining the planet's mineralogy and looking for chemical elements, particularly hydrogen, which would indicate the presence of water perhaps just below the surface. (on camera): Part of Odyssey's mission is to pick out landing sites for future rovers. In fact, two years from now, NASA hopes to launch perhaps its most ambitious Mars missions, sending two rovers to the planet's surface. John Zarrella, CNN, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
NASA Begins Odyssey to Mars