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December 15th, 2018
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s InSight Mars lander has produced new Sol 18: Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) imagery, acquired on December 15, 2018.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The robotic arm-mounted, Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) is surveying the lander surroundings in preparation for deployment of surface science gear.
InSight touched down on Mars at 11:52:59 a.m. PT (2:52:59 p.m. ET) on Nov. 26, 2018.
The lander plunged through the thin Martian atmosphere, heatshield first, and used a parachute to slow down. It fired its retro rockets to slowly descend to the surface of Mars, and land on the smooth plains of Elysium Planitia.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
An annotated image of the surface of Mars, taken by the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) on May 30, 2014. The annotations — added after InSight landed on Nov. 26, 2018 — display the locations of NASA’s InSight lander, its heat shield and parachute.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Posted in Space News
When looking at the surface pictures, I can only imagine the sense of awe and pride of the scientists and engineers who built (i.e., “touched”) the lander that now sits and functions on Mars. Incredible!