Tag Archives: JPL

InSight Mars lander spreads its solar wings

Posted on January 24, 2018 by rburnham

NASA’s next mission to Mars passed a key test Tuesday, extending the solar arrays that will power the InSight spacecraft once it lands on the Red Planet this November. The test took place at Lockheed Martin Space just outside of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Next NASA Mars mission to investigate interior

Posted on August 28, 2017 by rburnham

Preparation of NASA’s next spacecraft to Mars, InSight, has ramped up this summer, on course for launch next May from Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California — the first interplanetary launch in history from America’s West Coast. Lockheed Martin … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

InSight: Elysium landing site coverage by HiRISE

Posted on March 30, 2017 by rburnham

This map shows footprints of images taken from Mars orbit by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera as part of advance analysis of the area where NASA’s InSight mission will land in 2018. The final planned image of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

InSight cleared for 2018 launch

Posted on September 2, 2016 by rburnham

NASA is moving forward with a spring 2018 launch of its InSight mission to study the deep interior of Mars, following final approval this week by the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Is super-resolution restoration the future of high-resolution Mars orbital imaging?

Posted on May 2, 2016 by rburnham

An online posting at the Beautiful Mars blog by Alfred McEwen (University of Arizona) examines the question of future improvements in high-resolution orbital imaging of Mars both for geological studies and mission operations. The question is prompted by a research … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Advanced Mars orbiter ideas sought by NASA

Posted on April 21, 2016 by rburnham

NASA is soliciting ideas from U.S. industry for designs of a Mars orbiter for potential launch in the 2020s. The satellite would provide advanced communications and imaging, as well as robotic science exploration, in support of NASA’s Journey to Mars. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

InSight: NASA targets May 2018 launch

Posted on March 9, 2016 by rburnham

NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission to study the deep interior of Mars is targeting a new launch window that begins May 5, 2018, with a Mars landing scheduled for Nov. 26, 2018. InSight’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

InSight ships to Vandenberg AFB for launch

Posted on December 17, 2015 by rburnham

NASA’s next Mars spacecraft has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, for final preparations before a launch scheduled in March 2016 and a landing on Mars six months later. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built and tested the spacecraft … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

InSight: Vacuum leak found in French seismometer

Posted on December 3, 2015 by rburnham

A key science instrument that will be carried aboard NASA’s Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft being prepared for launch in March 2016 is experiencing a leak in the vacuum container carrying its main sensors. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

InSight: Send your name to Mars

Posted on August 19, 2015 by rburnham

Mars enthusiasts around the world can participate in NASA’s journey to Mars by adding their names to a silicon microchip headed to the Red Planet aboard NASA’s InSight Mars lander, scheduled to launch next year. “Our next step in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off