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Mars Orbiter Halfway to Red Planet

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A U.S. space agency spacecraft is half way to Mars where it will examine the red planet in more detail than ever before.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter successfully fired its six engines for about 20 seconds Sunday to adjust its flight path. It was one of several course corrections the orbiter will make before it reaches Mars on March 10. NASA says it still has 40 million kilometers to go before it arrives.

The orbiter will study Mars from low orbit, looking for evidence of water and minerals, as well as potential landing sites for future missions.

NASA says the orbiter will send back more data than all previous Mars missions combined.

The Mars orbiter was launched August 12.

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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