NASA / JPL - Caltech
It was five years ago today that InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport)—NASA's successor to the Phoenix spacecraft that safely landed on Mars back in 2008—triumphantly touched down on the Red Planet.
InSight's goal for its mission, which began with a launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base over six months earlier (on May 5), was to study the Martian interior using two primary instruments: a seismometer (the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS) and a heat probe (the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, or HP3). HP3, sadly, didn't accomplish its mission due to it being unable to penetrate the surprisingly-sticky soil at InSight's landing site.
SEIS, on the other hand, detected up to 1,300-plus marsquakes during its prolific, 4-year-long mission!
As shown below, it was an honor to have a virtual presence on InSight...along with other successful robotic Mars explorers like Phoenix as well as the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. I've also submitted my name to fly on the Mars Sample Return mission, though it remains to be seen when this one will launch!
Happy Sunday.
NASA / JPL - Caltech
No comments:
Post a Comment