InSite Mission to Mars

JupiterKid

This very interesting and important new mission to Mars will carry out the first detailed seismic measurements of the red planet, allowing scientists to get a much clearer picture of the internal structure of Mars.

InSite reuses heritage spacecraft hardware from the 2008 Phoenix polar mission and will involve a nail biting descent and parachute/thruster landing in just under a week from now, on 26 November. Here’s hoping to a successful landing and mission!

irishgeo

Are they leaving streaming the control room for the landing?

refusetolose

irishgeo wrote: »

Are they leaving streaming the control room for the landing?

i'd say so

Rulmeq

irishgeo wrote: »

Are they leaving streaming the control room for the landing?

https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/timeline/landing/watch-online/

greedygoblin

EDL starting round about now.

The Rape of Lucretia

Man, enough with the clapping already.

irishgeo

Landed safely. Confirmation of solar array not due till 1am GMT. Got a picture back as well.

vargoo

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Man, enough with the clapping already.

Considering success rate of landing stuff is only 40% and only by american teams, clap on guys.

https://www.space.com/42544-insight-mars-landing-first-photo.html

Crap first pic.

Ultimate Seduction

Did either of the marCO satellites get images of inSights approach or land?

vargoo

Ultimate Seduction wrote: »

Did either of the marCO satellites get images of inSights approach or land?

Their off the shelf cameras were turned off, ya have to wonder where the $20 million for those 2 POS went. Their purpose, to show they could survive and to relay if insight got down safe, assuming it's up there at all.

I think schools have sent up more advanced cubes on falcon rockets.

They took this crap pic a few days ago.

https://www.space.com/42530-mars-cubesat-photo-insight-mars-landing.html

Ultimate Seduction

vargoo wrote: »

Their off the shelf cameras were turned off, ya have to wonder where the $20 million for those 2 POS went. Their purpose, to show they could survive and to relay if insight got down safe, assuming it's up there at all.

I think schools have sent up more advanced cubes on falcon rockets.

They took this crap pic a few days ago.

https://www.space.com/42530-mars-cubesat-photo-insight-mars-landing.html

That's a bit harsh on the marCOs. Their purpose wasn't to take pictures it was to relay in time data of the approach which would have otherwise been impossible. Send a briefcase sized satellite to assist in a landing on Mars isn't something school children could make. You should research before ignorant comments. It's fascinating.

JupiterKid

Successful landing, first images from the surface acquired.

Well done InSight mission team!

Ps: apologies for the spelling error of InSight. Can't seem to edit my OP...

vargoo

Ultimate Seduction wrote: »

That's a bit harsh on the marCOs. Their purpose wasn't to take pictures it was to relay in time data of the approach which would have otherwise been impossible. Send a briefcase sized satellite to assist in a landing on Mars isn't something school children could make. You should research before ignorant comments. It's fascinating.

Not ignorant, that MarCO is just a relay, where did the millions go? And only theirs no gain to looking, their has been better/on a par cubes sent up by schools.

rolion

I know im goign to get punished by saying it here, loud and clear... sorry in advance !
Not trying to undermine the work and achievment of so many people involved in a succesful project...
Why did we sent this massive unit over to Mars, can someone explain it to me,please !?

Taking in consideration the current O U R suffering planet situation,would not have been better to spend those funds in dunno...giving everyones grants to switch to EVs from ICE cars ?
Or, allow a good healthy PV solar installations and associated FIT !?

Unless,up there on Mars ,an empty unfriendly and not suitable for humans planet that i saw it with my clear eyes tonight, before a masssive storm being announced due to climate change caused by humans...well,unless there is something else related to conspiracy theories,well,Scott do please beam me up to validate it for me...casue i just cant get it from the wind noise and cloudy sky...

namloc1980

rolion wrote: »

I know im goign to get punished by saying it here, loud and clear... sorry in advance !
Not trying to undermine the work and achievment of so many people involved in a succesful project...
Why did we sent this massive unit over to Mars, can someone explain it to me,please !?

Taking in consideration the current O U R suffering planet situation,would not have been better to spend those funds in dunno...giving everyones grants to switch to EVs from ICE cars ?
Or, allow a good healthy PV solar installations and associated FIT !?

Unless,up there on Mars ,an empty unfriendly and not suitable for humans planet that i saw it with my clear eyes tonight, before a masssive storm being announced due to climate change caused by humans...well,unless there is something else related to conspiracy theories,well,Scott do please beam me up to validate it for me...casue i just cant get it from the wind noise and cloudy sky...

It's called scientific exploration. It's what we humans are very good at and what drives us on. It inspires people. Should we just give up scientific exploration? And remember the classic line "no money is ever spent in space, it is all spent on earth". The mission cost just over $800m. That won't go very far in your dream of giving everyone a grant to buy an EV. It works out at about $3.50 for every adult in the US.

fryup

i often hear scientists say that some meteorites that hit earth come from mars...how do they know if no one been there??

namloc1980

fryup wrote: »

i often hear scientists say that some meteorites that hit earth come from mars...how do they know if no one been there??

The chemical composition of those meteorites is similar to those of rocks and atmospheric samples on Mars as studied by the various probes that have landed there.

ThunderCat

namloc1980 wrote: »

The chemical composition of those meteorites is similar to those of rocks and atmospheric samples on Mars as studied by the various probes that have landed there.

Following on from this, most meteorites that fall to Earth are from the Asteroid Belt that lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. We know the chemical makeup of those meteorites so we can distinguish between the two quite easily.

JupiterKid

First clear image from the InSight lander of Elysium Planitia on Mars. InSight makes the 8th successful landing of a NASA mission to Mars.



Full science operations are expected to begin in the Spring.

fryup

NASA are great it must be said, they must have the sharpest brains in the world working for them

Capt'n Midnight

fryup wrote: »

NASA are great it must be said, they must have the sharpest brains in the world working for them

There's a whole series on PBS about NASA mistakes. Stupid stuff like not testing the Hubble mirror, mounting sensors upside down on stardust? , not checking that contractors used metric like they were told to. The Shuttle , like SLS that's using many of the same parts was a flawed concept

Yes they have some great people who have saved their bacon and reputation despite the best efforts of management. Voyager's grand tour and visiting Haley's comet.

And there's huge amounts of waste, "if it works it's obsolete"

JupiterKid

First colour panoramas are coming back from InSight: watch this space!

troyzer

As a Geologist, I can't wait for the data.

It's incredibly exciting. Mars 2020 is the big one though, we'll finally have core samples.

Then we just need a MSR......

JupiterKid

5

troyzer wrote: »

As a Geologist, I can't wait for the data.

It's incredibly exciting. Mars 2020 is the big one though, we'll finally have core samples.

Then we just need a MSR......

Indeed.

But what I want see are human bootprints on Mars. Humans can explore so much more quickly and cover a much wider area than robots.

But until then, looking forward to InSights data!:)

Btw, the 1970s Viking landers each had seismometers, but they didnt work very well, they were much less technologically advanced than InSight and detected wind not marsquakes!!

Wanderer78

troyzer wrote:

It's incredibly exciting. Mars 2020 is the big one though, we'll finally have core samples.

They're hardly sending core samples back to earth, are they?

troyzer

JupiterKid wrote: »

5


Indeed.

But what I want see are human bootprints on Mars. Humans can explore so much more quickly and cover a much wider area than robots.

But until then,looking forward to InSights data!:)

MSR is the final mission step we need before a manned mission. After that it's just political will and a few technical issues.

Wanderer78 wrote: »

They're hardly sending core samples back to earth, are they?

Yeah. The plan is to send Mars 2020 which will cache core samples across the surface. Then a few years later an MSR (Mars Sample Return) orbiter and lander will take off.

The oribiter will, as the name suggests, orbit Mars. The lander, as the name suggests, will land on Mars. The lander will pop out a mini rover which collects the core samples and stores them on an ascent vehicle in the middle of the lander.

This rocket then takes off, docks with the orbiter which then sends it via another rocket back to Earth. The technology is already in place for the most part and has been done already with the Luna and Hayabusa missions on the Moon and an asteroid respectively. Russia are planning a re-run of Phobos Grunt which will attempt a sample return on Phobos, one of the Martian moons.

The MSR mission is complicated by the fact that Mars will be the first three part sample return mission made necessary by the higher gravity and atmosphere of Mars.

Wanderer78

troyzer wrote:

Yeah. The plan is to send Mars 2020 which will cache core samples across the surface. Then a few years later an MSR (Mars Sample Return) orbiter and lander will take off.

Now that is exciting, thank you

troyzer

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Now that is exciting, thank you

It's also likely to be a joint NASA/ESA mission as well, which is brilliant.

The first stage of it was due to be launched this year but NASA cancelled it a few years ago. It's only this year that NASA and ESA have decided to give it another go.

JupiterKid

A new panorama of the InSight landing site....

JupiterKid

New panorama of the landing site...

JupiterKid

troyzer wrote: »

It's also likely to be a joint NASA/ESA mission as well, which is brilliant.

The first stage of it was due to be launched this year but NASA cancelled it a few years ago. It's only this year that NASA and ESA have decided to give it another go.

The Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn was a joint NASA/ESA effort was was a great success - however both ESA's attempts to land on Mars - Beagle 2 and Schiparelli - failed - and I would be quite concerned for thier upcoming ExoMars rover mission. Also, ESA has in the past been rather weak at public outreach in terms of its mission results but I think that is improving.

Any joint NASA/ESA Mars venture would almost certainly use NASA mission control and Mars EDL technology so I would be much more confident of success.