Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

NASA’s InSight Mars lander is moving forward in testing, nearing “ship and shoot” status next year. The spacecraft is shown here fresh out of intense thermal vacuum test period.
Credit: Lockheed Martin

Littleton, Colorado – InSight, NASA’s next Mars mission is rapidly approaching “ship and shoot” status next year. This Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport — InSight for short space speak — has just completed “thermal vac” here at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company – builder of the Mars-bound craft.

Thermal vacuum testing (TVAC) simulates the cruel environment of space to appraise how the Mars-bound craft and its instruments operate under “flight-like” conditions.

For more information on this next NASA Mars mission, go to my new Space.com story at:

NASA’s Next Mars Lander Passes Big Test Ahead of May 2018 Launch

November 22, 2017 12:39pm ET

https://www.space.com/38868-nasa-mars-lander-insight-testing.html