NASA Maven space probe has finally begun after the NASA spacecraft arrived at the red planet late Sunday. The journey reportedly took 442 million miles to travel and almost a year to finish. The NASA Maven space probe that began nearly a year ago, is paving the way into possibly revealing what happened with Mars' atmosphere and waters.

The journey of 10-month journey through deep space of NASA MAVEN space probe is finally over. According to the Associated Press, officials confirmed the robotic explorer's slipping into orbit around the red planet Sunday. Now it's mission to help scientists find out why Mars became a cold and dry planet, from its past of a warm and wet place has begun, reports Space.com.

According to Bruce Jakosky from the University of Colorado and principal investigator for the Maven mission, nothing came easy for the NASA Maven space probe. He said that just for the planning, it took 11 years to get the spacecraft to Mars.

Jakosky said during a post-burn news briefing, "I think my heart's about ready to start again. All I can say at this point is, 'We're in orbit at Mars, guys!'"

The name "MAVEN" is short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution.

The Sunday night history highlight took 30 minutes as the NASA Maven space probe fired its engines to break into Mars' orbit and slow down for the planet's gravity to capture it around 10:24 p.m. EDT (0224 GMT Monday, Sept. 22).

The Maven was reportedly at the speed of more than 10,000 mph when it hit the brakes for the so-called "orbital insertion." It also took 12 minutes for the world to find out of the landing's success because of the lag in spacecraft signals.

The $671 million mission of the NASA Maven space probe began soon after. According to the AP, flight controllers in Colorado have begun the mission by first adjusting Maven's altitude and checking its science instruments to observe a comet streaking by during the first six weeks of. In early November, Maven will then start with searching the upper atmosphere of Mars.

Apparently, the spacecraft is to conduct its observations from orbit and not on ground.

Scientists reportedly believe that the Martian atmosphere will provide significant clues as to how the planet went from warm and wet billions of years ago to cold and dry. According to them, the former wet world could have harbored microbial life.

The launch of the NASA Maven space probe started last November from Cape Canaveral. It is the 10th U.S. mission sent to orbit the red planet. The previous three reportedly failed, and when the entire team found out of the Maven's success, everyone was on edge, reports the AP.

Colleen Hartman, deputy director for science at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland said, "I don't have any fingernails any more, but we've made it. It's incredible."

Dave Folta of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center announced from mission control, "Congratulations! MAVEN is now in Mars orbit."

Meanwhile, the official announcement said, "Based on observed navigation data, congratulations, Maven is now in Mars orbit."

Everybody applauded the news, some shook hands, while others could only laugh in happiness.

David Mitchell, NASA's project manager said, "Wow, what a night. You get one shot with Mars orbit insertion, and Maven nailed it tonight."

According to Space.com, the NASA Maven space probe isn't the first spacecraft on Mars' orbit. It reportedly joined three other operational probes - NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and the European Space Agency's Mars Express. On Tuesday night, Sept. 23, another spacecraft will be added to the group.

NBC News reports that India's first interplanetary probe, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan (Hindi for "Mars-Craft), will be joining the group on Tuesday.

According to Space.com, MOM is a $74 million mission that will conduct complementary studies of the Martian atmosphere as well as the planet's surface.

However, NBC News reports that unlike Maven, MOM is capable of making detailed measurements of atmospheric methane - which some scientists see as a potential indicator of biological activity on Mars. Jakosky reportedly wished the MOM mission well.

As for the NASA Maven space probe, Jakosky said he hopes to learn where Mars' water went, as well as the planet's carbon dioxide.

Many believe that these gases could have been stripped away by the sun during Mars' earlierst existence, escaping into its upper atmosphere and possibly towards outer space. Jakosky said the NASA Maven space probe should be able to extrapolate back in time.

NASA officials said Maven is the first NASA spacecraft dedicated to studying the upper atmosphere of Mars. The NASA Maven space probe will make use of three suites of scientific instruments to measure and characterize gas escape from the Martian atmosphere.

Jakosky said at a news conference Wednesday (Sept. 17), "What we're going to be doing is studying the top of the atmosphere as a way of understanding the extent to which stripping of gas out of the atmosphere to space may have been the driving mechanism behind climate change."

He added, "We should be able to get enough measurements to tell us what happened to the water, what happened to the carbon dioxide."

According to the AP, the Maven mission will take a full Earth year, and half a Martian one, collecting data. Its orbit will reportedly dip as low as 78 miles above the Martian surface as the eight instruments it has make measurements. The craft is described to be as long as a school bus, beginning from its solar wingtip to tip, and as large as an SUV.

In addition to finding out about Mars' ancient history, the NASA Maven space probe will also be going through an upswing in dust storms, according to Richard Zurek, chief scientist for the Mars Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement that the Maven's findings about the Martian environment will "better inform a future mission to send humans to the Red Planet in the 2030s."

NASA Maven space probe is amongst the robotic creations in space paving the way for the human exploration which NASA hopes to send in the 2030s. According to the AP, Maven is NASA's 21st shot at probing Mars.

To see images of the MAVEN mission, click here.