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After crossing our solar system for seven months, NASA's InSight spacecraft opened its parachute and landed softly on a vast, dusty plain on Mars on Monday.
The journey from Earth to the Red Planet spanned 458 million kilometers, or 846,580 times the equivalent of a trip from Toronto to Montreal. But the $ 1 billion project began long before the probe took off from California.
Here's how InSight accomplished the ambitious mission on Mars.
August 6, 2012: The last spacecraft to travel to Mars, the NASA car-sized Curiosity rover, lands successfully. Endowed with an arsenal of tools, Curiosity is responsible for collecting organic samples on the surface of the planet in the hope of determining if Mars has ever supported life.
August 2012: NASA decides to develop and launch InSight. The goal is to create a robotic lander capable of studying the depths of Mars.
May 2014: Lockheed Martin begins construction of the LG.
March 9, 2016: NASA pushes the launch date of InSight to May 2018.
February 28, 2018: InSight is shipped from Colorado to California, where preparations begin for launch.
Just arrived in California at Vandenberg AFB @ 30thSpaceWing, my house for the next 65 days before my launch on May 5th on a @ULALaunch Atlas V Plus rocket: https://t.co/Yps4IoOLjv pic.twitter.com/v3Sl9WvycP
– NASAInSight (@NASAInSight)
March 1, 2018
May 5, 2018: InSight is launched before sunrise from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A powerful Atlas V-401 rocket sends the ship in space.
This was the first interplanetary launch of the California coast. Learn more about my mission to study the heart of #March: https://t.co/2fmowy74ha pic.twitter.com/FXk19EdDQN
– NASAInSight (@NASAInSight)
May 5, 2018
May 14, 2018: InSight comes off the rocket.
To break is difficult. . . but not if you are Marsbound! Even though my ride in Atlas V-401 was comfortable, I had to part with my rocket to continue my journey #March. Now I am setting up for the six month trip. Look at my separation: https://t.co/dDmH6cGTjw pic.twitter.com/aVhjB540jq
– NASAInSight (@NASAInSight)
May 14, 2018
August 5, 2018: Penetrating into space at a speed of almost 10,000 kilometers at the time, InSight marks half of its course.
I am halfway to #March! I travel at a speed of about 6,200 mph. My total trip is about 300 million miles. I'm going to land on Mars on November 26, 2018. Learn more about my trip: https://t.co/ZGdaiDCRtR pic.twitter.com/GmC7TdwR34
– NASAInSight (@NASAInSight)
August 5, 2018
14:52 ET, Monday, November 26, 2018: InSight lands successfully on the dusty surface of Mars. At NASA headquarters, worried scientists are celebrating.
I fly in the Martian atmosphere to thousands of kilometers at the hour. It's really warm outside (about 2700 ° F / 1500 ° C)! Fortunately, my heat shield is designed to keep me cool and comfortable. Watch live: https://t.co/oig27aMjZd #MarsLanding pic.twitter.com/99WXofPe3s
– NASAInSight (@NASAInSight)
November 26, 2018
It's time to launch my rockets for the last descent. Less than a minute to the touch! #MarsLanding pic.twitter.com/1i7Y2tkcRW
– NASAInSight (@NASAInSight)
November 26, 2018
18.30. HE, Monday, November 27, 2018: InSight takes a selfie and sends it back to Earth. The picture shows the vast Martian landscape and the pink-pink horizon. "There is a quiet beauty here," NASA tweeted from InSight's Twitter account. "I can not wait to explore my new home.
There is a quiet beauty here. Looking forward to exploring my new home. #MarsLanding pic.twitter.com/mfClzsfJJr
– NASAInSight (@NASAInSight)
November 27, 2018
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