Tag Archives: JPL

InSight: New home ‘a large sandbox’

With InSight safely on the surface of Mars, the mission team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is busy learning more about the spacecraft’s landing site. They knew when InSight landed on Nov. 26 that the spacecraft had … Continue reading

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InSight is catching rays on Mars

NASA’s InSight has sent signals to Earth indicating that its solar panels are open and collecting sunlight on the Martian surface. NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter relayed the signals, which were received on Earth at about 5:30 p.m. PST (8:30 p.m. … Continue reading

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Task done, InSight’s MarCO says Farewell to Mars

[Ed. note: For more on this image and the role played by the MarCO CubeSats, see here.] MarCO-B, one of the experimental Mars Cube One (MarCO) CubeSats, took this image of Mars from about 4,700 miles (6,000 kilometers) away during … Continue reading

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InSight: Top deck view from the IDC

Sol 0, November 26, 2018. The lander’s Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) snaps a view of the top deck. Unlike the Instrument Context Camera, which is mounted on the lander body, this camera is on the instrument arm. Each IDC image … Continue reading

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European Space Agency: Supporting InSight

At just before 9pm Central European Time on 26 November, Mars will receive a new visitor: NASA’s InSight lander. (…) Since InSight’s study is focused on sensing the planet’s interior, surface geology is not such an important factor in deciding … Continue reading

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InSight: First photo of Elysium Planitia

Elysium Planitia, as seen through a dust-spattered dust cover. Click the image to enlarge it. NASA’s InSight Mars lander acquired this image of the area in front of the lander using its lander-mounted, Instrument Context Camera (ICC). This image was … Continue reading

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InSight: Successful landing!

InSight is down on the ground on Elysium Planitia.  More here.

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InSight: Landing preview

[Originally broadcast November 25, 2018]

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InSight’s timeline to touchdown

On Nov. 26, NASA’s InSight spacecraft will blaze through the Martian atmosphere and attempt to set a lander gently on the surface of the Red Planet in less time than it takes to hard-boil an egg. InSight’s entry, descent and … Continue reading

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InSight: Science and engineering of a Mars lander

Prior to landing on the Red Planet, NASA discusses the engineering that went into the InSight lander. Launched on May 5, InSight marks NASA’s first Mars landing since the Curiosity rover in 2012. The landing will kick off a two-year … Continue reading

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