Tag Archives: SEIS

InSight: New home ‘a large sandbox’

Posted on December 1, 2018 by rburnham

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: Studying Mars while standing still

Posted on October 24, 2018 by rburnham

You don’t need wheels to explore Mars. After touching down in November, NASA’s InSight spacecraft will spread its solar panels, unfold a robotic arm … and stay put. Unlike the space agency’s rovers, InSight is a lander designed to study … Continue reading →

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InSight: Pre-launch briefing videocast

Posted on May 4, 2018 by rburnham

InSight, the first planetary mission to take off from the West Coast, is targeted to launch at 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT) on May 5 from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California, aboard a … Continue reading →

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‘Marsquakes’ could shake up planetary science

Posted on March 28, 2018 by rburnham

Starting next year, scientists will get their first look deep below the surface of Mars. That’s when NASA will send the first robotic lander dedicated to exploring the planet’s subsurface. InSight, which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, will … Continue reading →

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InSight: Tour a Mars robot test lab

Posted on March 8, 2018 by rburnham

NASA’s InSight lander looks a bit like an oversized crane game: when it lands on Mars this November, its robotic arm will be used to grasp and move objects on another planet for the first time. And like any crane … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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InSight: 2016 launch cancelled due to problems with the seismometer

Posted on December 22, 2015 by rburnham

Update: NASA press release is here. NASA announced today that a vacuum leak in the French-built seismometer is forcing a cancellation of InSight’s scheduled March 2016 launch. In a statement, NASA said, “After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to … Continue reading →

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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 →

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