28/11/2018
NASA’s InSight lands on Mars
It aims to unveil the Red Planet’s inner mysteries, such as its formation
Cheers and applause erupted at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory late on Monday night as its Mars rover InSight touched down on the Red planet, capping a nearly seven-year journey from design to launch to landing.
The dramatic arrival of the $993 million spacecraft — designed to unveil the Red Planet's inner mysteries, how it formed billions of years ago and, by extension, how other rocky planets like the earth took shape — marked the eighth successful landing on Mars in NASA's history.
“Touchdown confirmed,” a mission control operator at NASA said, as anxiety and excitement surged through the room, and dozens of scientists leapt from their seats to embrace each other.
“Ultimately, the day is coming when we land humans on Mars,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said, adding that the goal is to do so by the mid 2030s.
The vehicle appeared to be in good shape. But as expected, the dust kicked up during the landing obscured the first picture InSight sent back, which was heavily flecked.
The spacecraft is NASA’s first to touch down on the earth’s neighbouring planet since the Curiosity rover arrived in 2012.
More than half of 43 attempts to reach Mars with rovers, orbiters and probes by space agencies from around the world have failed.
NASA is the only space agency to have made it. “We never take Mars for granted. Mars is hard,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, an associate administrator with NASA.
