My Pick of Pic's November 10, 2003 Journey to Mars - Third Stage Engine Ignition With the third stage ignition and the jetison of the fairing, the Mars Exploration Rover is on its way out of earth orbit and onto Mars. It has a seven month cruise ahead of it, during which the rovers systems will be tested to ensure they are working properly when it reaches Mars. The rover operations team will also be tested during cruise. They will, and have been, running Operations Readiness Test that simulate the conditions of operations at Mars. Previous Images in the Journey to Mars Series Blastoff Mars Exploration Rover Mars Web @ JPL