Mars arrival imminent

The most capable robotic scout ever sent to Mars is arriving at the red planet, and we'll have live updates here on The Flame Trench all afternoon.

A quick run-down of links for those who want to study up:

Our preview of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's arrival.
A graphical look at MRO, its instruments and its mission.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter web site at nasa.gov.

The timeline for today's events:

Noon: NASA holds a pre-arrival news briefing.
4:07 p.m.: MRO positions itself for thruster burn.
4:24 p.m.: Thruster burn for orbital insertion.
4:47 p.m.: Communications blackout.
5:16 p.m.: Spacecraft emerges from blackout; confirmation of orbit insertion.
7:30 p.m.: NASA's post-arrival news conference.

Stay with us throughout the day for updates.