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Send Your Name to Mars

NASA's InSight lander will travel to Mars next year. When it does, it will be carrying two microchips bearing the names of members of the public.

October 02, 2017

NASA's InSight lander will travel to Mars next year. When it does, it will be carrying two microchips bearing the names of members of the public.

Credits

NASA/JPL-Caltech
 

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The self-hammering mole, part of the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) on NASA's InSight lander, was only partially buried in the soil of Mars as of early June 2019, as shown in this ...
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The self-hammering mole, part of the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) on NASA's InSight lander, was only partially buried in the soil of Mars as of early June 2019, as shown in this illustration.
Current Position of InSight's Mole (Illustration)
An illustration of the route InSight takes to get to Mars.
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An illustration of the route InSight takes to get to Mars.
InSight's Route to Mars
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) developed and built an instrument to fly on NASA's InSight mission that will measure the heat coming out of the interior of Mars. The instrument's principal invest...
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Inside InSight: German Scientist Aims to Take Mars' Temperature
Inside InSight: German Scientist Aims to Take Mars' Temperature
This image shows InSight's domed Wind and Thermal Shield, which covers its seismometer. The image was taken on the 110th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The seismometer is called Seismic Exper...
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This image shows InSight's domed Wind and Thermal Shield, which covers its seismometer. The image was taken on the 110th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The seismometer is called Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS.
InSight's Seismometer on the Martian Surface
This artist's concept depicts the stationary NASA Mars lander known by the acronym InSight at work studying the interior of Mars.
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This artist's concept depicts the stationary NASA Mars lander known by the acronym InSight at work studying the interior of Mars.
Artist's Concept of InSight Lander on Mars
Artist's concept of the interior of Mars shows a hot liquid core that is about one-half the radius of the planet. 
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Artist's concept of the interior of Mars shows a hot liquid core that is about one-half the radius of the planet.
Mars Interior
The shadow of NASA InSight's robotic arm moves over its heat probe, or "mole," on Nov. 3, 2019, the 333rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.
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The shadow of NASA InSight's robotic arm moves over its heat probe, or "mole," on Nov. 3, 2019, the 333rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.
InSight's Arm Camera Stares Into the Pit
An image of InSight's robotic arm, with its scoop and stowed grapple, poised above the Martian soil. The image was received on Dec. 4, 2018 (Sol 8).
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An image of InSight's robotic arm, with its scoop and stowed grapple, poised above the Martian soil. The image was received on Dec. 4, 2018 (Sol 8).
Insight's Robotic Arm Over Martian Soil
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, carrying NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy an...
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, carrying NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. Liftoff was at 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT).
InSight Lifts Off 2
InSight's heat probe, called the Heat and Physical Properties Package (HP3).
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InSight's heat probe, called the Heat and Physical Properties Package (HP3).
HP3 Being Tested in Germany
In a JPL lab, a replica of NASA InSight's robotic arm presses with its scoop on crushed garnet near a replica of the spacecraft's self-hammering "mole." Engineers believe pressing like this on Mart...
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In a JPL lab, a replica of NASA InSight's robotic arm presses with its scoop on crushed garnet near a replica of the spacecraft's self-hammering "mole." Engineers believe pressing like this on Martian soil may help the mole dig by increasing friction of the surrounding soil.
Testing How InSight's Arm Will Push on Mars
Tom Hoffman, InSight Project Manager, NASA JPL, left, and Sue Smrekar, InSight deputy principal investigator, NASA JPL, react after receiving confirmation that the Mars InSight lander successfully ...
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Tom Hoffman, InSight Project Manager, NASA JPL, left, and Sue Smrekar, InSight deputy principal investigator, NASA JPL, react after receiving confirmation that the Mars InSight lander successfully touched down on the surface of Mars, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018 inside the Mission Support Area at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
InSight's Landing Celebration
Pourquoi les plus hauts sommets du système solaire se trouvent-ils sur l'un de ses plus petits corps planétaires? Comme pour toute planète, l’aspect de la surface martienne est liée à ce qui se pas...
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Pourquoi les plus hauts sommets du système solaire se trouvent-ils sur l'un de ses plus petits corps planétaires? Comme pour toute planète, l’aspect de la surface martienne est liée à ce qui se passe en profondeur.
Mars in a Minute: (French) Comment Mars peut elle avoir de si grandes montagnes?
Engineers for NASA's MarCO (Mars Cube One) technology demonstration inspect the MarCO test bed, which contains components that are identical to those built for a flight to Mars.
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Engineers for NASA's MarCO (Mars Cube One) technology demonstration inspect the MarCO test bed, which contains components that are identical to those built for a flight to Mars. Cody Colley, left, MarCO integration and test deputy, and Shannon Statham, MarCO integration and test lead, are on the team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, preparing twin MarCO CubeSats.
MarCO CubeSat Engineers 1
Listen to data from the seismometer on NASA's InSight spacecraft of vibrations caused by Martian wind moving over the lander's solar panels.
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Listen to data from the seismometer on NASA's InSight spacecraft of vibrations caused by Martian wind moving over the lander's solar panels.
More Audible Sounds from InSight's Seismometer on Mars
Are there earthquakes on Mars?  Or rather, "marsquakes?"  And what could they teach us about the Red Planet? Find out more in this 60-second video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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Are there earthquakes on Mars?
Mars in a Minute: Are There Quakes on Mars?
This animation illustrates NASA's InSight lander touching down on Mars, its thrusters setting a rock in motion. A little bigger than a golf ball, the rock was later nicknamed "Rolling Stones Rock" ...
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This animation illustrates NASA's InSight lander touching down on Mars, its thrusters setting a rock in motion. A little bigger than a golf ball, the rock was later nicknamed "Rolling Stones Rock" by the InSight team in honor of The Rolling Stones.
Rolling Stones Rock
The InSight Team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, in June 2015.
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The InSight Team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, in June 2015.
The InSight Team at JPL
This illustration shows NASA’s InSight lander separating from its cruise stage as it prepares to enter Mars’ atmosphere. The InSight lander is on the right, tucked inside a protective heat shield a...
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This illustration shows NASA’s InSight lander separating from its cruise stage as it prepares to enter Mars’ atmosphere. The InSight lander is on the right, tucked inside a protective heat shield and back shell. The cruise stage with solar panels is on the left.
Illustration of InSight Cruise Stage Separation
This set of images shows NASA's InSight lander deploying its first instrument onto the surface of Mars, completing a major mission milestone. 
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This set of images shows NASA's InSight lander deploying its first instrument onto the surface of Mars, completing a major mission milestone.
Putting SEIS on the Ground
The rocket that launched NASA’s InSight lander to Mars in 2018 is seen at Vandenberg Air Force Base, now called Vandenberg Space Force Base.
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The rocket that launched NASA’s InSight lander to Mars in 2018 is seen at Vandenberg Air Force Base, now called Vandenberg Space Force Base.
InSight's Rocket Prepares to Launch
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of a meteoroid impact that was later associated with a seismic event detected by the agency’s InSight lander using its seismometer. This crate...
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NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of a meteoroid impact that was later associated with a seismic event detected by the agency’s InSight lander using its seismometer. This crater was formed on May 27, 2020.
InSight-Detected Impact in May 2020
The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument for NASA's InSight mission to Mars undergoes a checkout in this photo taken July 20, 2017, in a Lockheed Martin clean room facility i...
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The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument for NASA's InSight mission to Mars undergoes a checkout in this photo taken July 20, 2017, in a Lockheed Martin clean room facility in Colorado. The SEIS was provided by France's national space agency (CNES).
Bench Checkout of InSight's Seismometer Instrument
Mars is experiencing large regional dust storms over its northern hemisphere during the past week.
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This movie was acquired by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Mars Colour Imager (MARCI) camera.
The Martian Dust Storm of June 2018
NASA's twin MarCO spacecraft are scheduled to make a flyby of Mars on Nov. 26. On Nov. 24, a wide-angle camera on MarCO-B took this picture of the Red Planet, which appears as small, grey dot in th...
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NASA's twin MarCO spacecraft are scheduled to make a flyby of Mars on Nov. 26. On Nov. 24, a wide-angle camera on MarCO-B took this picture of the Red Planet, which appears as small, grey dot in the lower left quadrant of the image.
Two Days Till Mars for MarCO

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