InSight ship "flawless" lands on Mars



[ad_1]

news, world,

A NASA spacecraft designed to penetrate inside the planet Mars landed on the planet after a perilous and supersonic dive across its red sky, causing chaos among scientists who had been eagerly awaiting confirmation for to arrive on 160 million kilometers of space. . The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory flight controllers in Pasadena, California, jumped from their chairs screaming, dancing and hugging, after learning that InSight had arrived on Mars, the cemetery of 39, a multitude of previous missions. "Touchdown confirmed!" a flight controller called just before 3:00 pm Eastern time, instantly dispelling the anxiety that reigned in the control room as the spacecraft made its descent six minutes. Because of the distance between Earth and Mars, it took eight minutes for the confirmation to arrive, relayed by a pair of tiny satellites that followed InSight all along the six-month, 480-million-kilometer journey. Both satellites not only delivered the good news almost in real time, but they also sent the first InSight snapshot back to Mars, just four minutes after landing. The photo was covered with dust because the dust cover was still visible on the LG camera, but the terrain around the probe was smooth and sandy and only showed one only important rock. This was NASA's successful eighth landing on Earth since the 1976 Viking probes, and the first since six years. The NASA Curiosity robot, arrived in 2012, is still moving on Mars. "Flawless," said Rob Manning, chief engineer of JPL. InSight, an international project of one billion US dollars (US $ 1.4 billion), includes a German mechanical mole that will dig five meters deep to measure the internal heat of Mars. InSight was not yet out of trouble: NASA was waiting Monday night for the vital solar panels of the spacecraft to unveil successfully. The panels must open to generate energy; otherwise, the mission is a bust. During the next "soils" – or Martian days of 24 hours and 39 minutes – flight controllers will also evaluate the health status of InSight's very important robot arm and its scientific instruments. NASA opted this time for a simple and direct approach, using a parachute and braking motors to pbad InSight at a speed of 19,800 km / h when it crossed the Martian atmosphere , about 114 km, 8 km / h touch. The danger was that the spacecraft could be consumed in the atmosphere or rebound. Three-legged InSight is installed on the west side of Elysium Planitia, the plain NASA was aiming for. The 360 ​​kg InSight is off and will work in the same place for the next two years, a Martian year. Australian Associated Press

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/GJZ5TVpAk84wrTzsQfLQRB/3d9f6784-1f7e-440d-b403-ddafc54f6adb.PNG/r10_020_11

A NASA spacecraft designed to penetrate inside the planet Mars landed on the planet after a perilous and supersonic dive across its red sky, causing chaos among scientists who had been eagerly awaiting confirmation for to arrive on 160 million kilometers of space. .

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory flight controllers in Pasadena, California, jumped from their chairs screaming, dancing and hugging, after learning that InSight had arrived on Mars, the cemetery of 39, a multitude of previous missions.

"Touchdown confirmed!" a flight controller called just before 3:00 pm Eastern time, instantly dispelling the anxiety that reigned in the control room as the spacecraft made its descent six minutes.

Because of the distance between Earth and Mars, it took eight minutes for the confirmation to arrive, relayed by a pair of tiny satellites that followed InSight all along the six-month, 480-million-kilometer journey.

Both satellites not only delivered the good news almost in real time, but they also sent the first InSight snapshot back to Mars, just four minutes after landing.

The photo was covered with dust because the dust cover was still visible on the LG camera, but the terrain around the probe was smooth and sandy and only showed one only important rock.

This was NASA's successful eighth landing on Earth since the 1976 Viking probes, and the first since six years. The NASA Curiosity robot, arrived in 2012, is still moving on Mars.

An artist view of the LG InSight.

An artist view of the LG InSight.

"Flawless," said Rob Manning, chief engineer of JPL.

InSight, an international project of one billion US dollars (US $ 1.4 billion), includes a German mechanical mole that will dig five meters deep to measure the internal heat of Mars.

InSight was not yet out of trouble: NASA was waiting Monday night for the vital solar panels of the spacecraft to unveil successfully. The panels must open to generate energy; otherwise, the mission is a bust.

During the next "soils" – or Martian days of 24 hours and 39 minutes – flight controllers will also evaluate the health status of InSight's very important robot arm and its scientific instruments.

NASA opted this time for a simple and direct approach, using a parachute and braking motors to pbad InSight at a speed of 19,800 km / h when it crossed the Martian atmosphere , about 114 km, 8 km / h touch.

The danger was that the spacecraft could be consumed in the atmosphere or rebound.

Three-legged InSight is installed on the west side of Elysium Planitia, the plain NASA was aiming for.

The 360 ​​kg InSight is off and will work in the same place for the next two years, a Martian year.

Australian Associated Press

[ad_2]
Source link