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InSight Landing on Mars

October 31, 2018

When NASA’s InSight descends to the Red Planet on Nov. 26, 2018, it is guaranteed to be a white-knuckle event. Rob Manning, chief engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains the critical steps that must happen in perfect sequence to get the robotic lander safely to the surface.

Credits

NASA/JPL-Caltech

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Rolling Stones Take the Stage
The “mole,” a heat probe that traveled to Mars aboard NASA’s InSight lander, as it looked after hammering on Jan. 9, 2021, the 754th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. After trying since Feb. 28,...
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InSight's mole on Mars
InSight's ‘Mole' Comes to Rest
This footage from Aug. 19, 2019, shows a replica of InSight scraping soil with a scoop on the end of its robotic arm in a test lab at JPL. 
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Animated view of a replica of InSight scraping soil with a scoop
Replica of InSight's Arm Practices Scraping
Second dime-size microchip carrying 1.6 million names gets processed for installation onto the InSight lander.  
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Second dime-size microchip carrying 1.6 million names gets processed for installation onto the InSight lander.
Second Microchip Gets Ready for Launch
In this photo, a spacecraft specialist prepares NASA's InSight spacecraft for thermal vacuum testing in the flight system's "cruise" configuration for its 2016 flight to Mars.
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In this photo, a spacecraft specialist prepares NASA's InSight spacecraft for thermal vacuum testing in the flight system's "cruise" configuration for its 2016 flight to Mars.
Preparing NASA's InSight for Space Simulation Testing
In the weeks after NASA's InSight mission reaches Mars in September 2016, the lander's arm will lift two science instruments off the deck and place them onto the ground. This image shows testing o...
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This image shows testing of InSight's robotic arm at JPL about two years before it will perform these tasks on Mars.
Testing for Instrument Deployment by InSight's Robotic Arm
An artist's rendition of how a rocky planet forms. 
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An artist's rendition of how a rocky planet forms.
A Rocky Planet Forms
NASA's InSight lander set its heat probe, called the Heat and Physical Properties Package (HP3), on the Martian surface on Feb. 12.
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NASA's InSight lander set its heat probe, called the Heat and Physical Properties Package (HP3), on the Martian surface on Feb. 12.
HP3 on the Martian Surface
Engineer Marleen Sundgaard watches as the robotic arm on a test version of NASA's Mars InSight lander grasps a model of the spacecraft's seismometer. This work was done at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab...
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Engineer Marleen Sundgaard watches as the robotic arm on a test version of NASA's Mars InSight lander grasps a model of the spacecraft's seismometer. This work was done at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Inspecting Instrument Deployment
An artist's rendition of Mars, highlighting one of InSight's goals -- to figure out just how tectonically active Mars is today and how often meteorites impact it.
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An artist's rendition of Mars, highlighting one of InSight's goals -- to figure out just how tectonically active Mars is today and how often meteorites impact it.
Measuring the Pulse of Mars
InSight’s solar panels produced roughly 5,000 watt-hours each Martian day, or sol, after the spacecraft touched down in November 2018. But by spring 2022, enough dust had settled on the panels that...
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InSight’s solar panels produced roughly 5,000 watt-hours each Martian day, or sol, after the spacecraft touched down in November 2018. But by spring 2022, enough dust had settled on the panels that they were only producing about 500 watt-hours each sol.
InSight's Power Generation: After Landing and Spring 2022
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
Go inside JPL mission control as NASA's InSight mission touches down on Mars.
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Go inside JPL mission control as NASA's InSight mission touches down on Mars.
NASA InSight Mission Control Mars Landing Celebration (360 video)
This infographic shows how InSight uses a seismometer and quakes to study the inner layers of Mars. Seismic signals from quakes change as they pass through different kinds of materials; seismologis...
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This infographic shows how InSight uses a seismometer and quakes to study the inner layers of Mars. Seismic signals from quakes change as they pass through different kinds of materials; seismologists can “read” the squiggles of a seismogram to study the properties of the planet’s crust, mantle, and core.
How InSight Studies Mars' Inner Layers
This is NASA InSight's first selfie on Mars. It displays the lander's solar panels and deck. On top of the deck are its science instruments, weather sensor booms and UHF antenna.
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This is NASA InSight's first selfie on Mars. It displays the lander's solar panels and deck. On top of the deck are its science instruments, weather sensor booms and UHF antenna.
InSight's First Selfie
An artist's rendering of a rocket launching with the InSight spacecraft in May.
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An artist's rendering of a rocket launching with the InSight spacecraft in May.
InSight Launching to Mars
NASA's InSight lander placed its seismometer on Mars on Dec. 19, 2018. This was the first time a spacecraft robotically placed a seismometer onto the surface of another planet.
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The seismometer is the copper-colored object in this image, which was taken around Martian dusk.
SEIS Deployed on Mars
The spectrogram of vibrations (frequency spectrum over time) recorded by two of the three sensors of the short period seismometer on NASA’s InSight lander on Mars.
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The spectrogram of vibrations (frequency spectrum over time) recorded by two of the three sensors of the short period seismometer on NASA’s InSight lander on Mars.
Vibrations from InSight's First 20 Minutes on Mars
This video includes a seismogram and sonification of the signals recorded by NASA’s InSight Mars lander, which detected an estimated magnitude 5 quake on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day, or so...
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This video includes a seismogram and sonification of the signals recorded by NASA’s InSight Mars lander, which detected an estimated magnitude 5 quake on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.
Seismogram and Sonification of InSight's Big Martian Quake
This video and audio illustrate a seismic event detected by NASA's InSight on April 6, 2019, the 128th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Three distinct kinds of sounds can be heard: noise from M...
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This video and audio illustrate a seismic event detected by NASA's InSight on April 6, 2019, the 128th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Three distinct kinds of sounds can be heard: noise from Martian wind; the event itself; and the spacecraft's robotic arm as it moves to take pictures.
First Likely Marsquake Heard by NASA's InSight
Growing up, NASA-JPL engineer Farah Alibay didn't have a role model who was an engineer and a woman of color. Now, she hopes she can play that role for the next generation as Mars Cube One (MarCO) ...
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Engineer Tests CubeSats for Better Communication at Mars
Meet MarCO: Engineer Tests CubeSats for Better Communication at Mars
NASA's InSight to Mars undergoes final preparations at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California, ahead of its launch, expected as early as May 5, 2018.
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NASA's InSight to Mars undergoes final preparations at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California, ahead of its launch, expected as early as May 5, 2018.
Getting Ready for Launch
NASA’s InSight Mars lander is waiting for liftoff from its launch pad, SLC-3E, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California. Also on the Atlas V 401 rocket provided by United Launch Alliance ...
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NASA’s InSight Mars lander is waiting for liftoff from its launch pad, SLC-3E, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California. Also on the Atlas V 401 rocket provided by United Launch Alliance is a technology demonstration called Mars Cube One (MarCO).
Insight on the Launch Pad
Engineers in a Mars-like test area at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory try possible strategies to aid the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) on NASA's InSight lander, using engineering...
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Engineers in a Mars-like test area at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory try possible strategies to aid the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) on NASA's InSight lander, using engineering models of the lander, robotic arm and instrument.
JPL Engineers Test Heat Probe Strategies
This artist's concept shows NASA's InSight lander with its instruments deployed on the Martian surface. Several of the sensors used for studying Martian weather are visible on its deck, including t...
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This artist's concept shows NASA's InSight lander with its instruments deployed on the Martian surface. Several of the sensors used for studying Martian weather are visible on its deck, including the inlet for an air pressure sensor and the east- and west-facing weather sensor booms.
InSight Collecting Mars Weather Data (Artist's Concept)

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