It’s time to get a checkup on InSight, the latest spacecraft to successfully land on Mars. In case you missed it, this was how Monday afternoon was for NASA scientists…
Thank you so much to my incredible team who got me safely to #Mars. Hear from some of them on how my #MarsLanding went. Tune in at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET): https://t.co/oig27aMjZd pic.twitter.com/xbS9W4YFUI
— NASAInSight (@NASAInSight) November 26, 2018
A lot has happened since then. “A lot” in space time is much different from ‘a lot’ in our Earth time. We can cram a lot into a day here on Earth. However tasks must be taken slowly and surely beyond our atmosphere to ensure that the mission is successful.
DAY 1 – MONDAY
Landing day for InSight.
What an accomplishment. @NASAInSight marks the eighth time in human history we have successfully landed on Mars.
The best of @NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon. https://t.co/7xPjzbqyF1 #MarsLanding pic.twitter.com/Yh3kBufHou
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) November 26, 2018
Some of the first images from InSight on Mars looked like this:
There’s a quiet beauty here. Looking forward to exploring my new home. #MarsLanding pic.twitter.com/mfClzsfJJr
— NASAInSight (@NASAInSight) November 27, 2018
InSight then deployed its solar panels (acting as its energy and electricity) to power it for its mission.
https://twitter.com/NASAInSight/status/1067258215501447168
DAY 2 – TUESDAY
InSight went through status checkups, routine maintenance, and enjoyed the sun rays to help charge up some battery life.
Now that the dust from my #MarsLanding has settled, I’m taking a little time for self-care with some wellness checks before I get to work. More about what’s ahead: https://t.co/Y7GoErkWfx pic.twitter.com/UN3KOdpJ15
— NASAInSight (@NASAInSight) November 27, 2018
DAY 3 – WEDNESDAY
More ‘arms’ were deployed off of InSight.
Slowly releasing all my pent-up tension, starting with loosening my grapple, as these before-and-after pics show. Until I'm ready to stretch my arm out, my camera angles will be the same. Stay tuned though: every picture I take, I’ll send to #Earth here: https://t.co/tjr8tfaCg5 pic.twitter.com/OAOTeA6uwq
— NASAInSight (@NASAInSight) November 29, 2018
DAY 4 – THURSDAY
Selfie time. Well perhaps not a selfie to instantly post to Instagram, but rather send back to Earth. The near-term goal will be to find a good spot to begin InSight’s mission(s). Here’s part of the summary from NASA:
“In the coming days, the mission team will unstow InSight’s robotic arm and use the attached camera to snap photos of the ground so that engineers can decide where to place the spacecraft’s scientific instruments. It will take two to three months before those instruments are fully deployed and sending back data.
In the meantime, InSight will use its weather sensors and magnetometer to take readings from its landing site at Elysium Planitia — its new home on Mars.”
What’s next? You can check out all of the “InSight” on this program and mission via this link below:
https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/
For WeatherNation, Meteorologist Steve Glazier