Kopernik hosts the watch night for his historic landing on Mars

VESTAL (WBNG) – It was an exciting day for astronomers as NASA's Insight spacecraft made a landmark landing on Mars on Monday.

Millions of people across the country have seen the spacecraft land on the red planet, including the southern part.

A surveillance evening was held at the Kopernik Observatory and the Vestal Science Center for members of our community.

"It's very exciting, it's the most recent mission on Mars since 2012 since the beginning of" Curiosity, "said Drew Deskur, executive director of the Kopernik Observatory.

The event drew space enthusiasts from around New York, including Nicholas Apostoleris and his family, from Lima to watch live landing on Mars.

"We've been following Insight for weeks and we thought, it's worth forgetting a day off and half a day of work. We feel excited about a successful landing, "said Apostoleris.

Experts say that while exploring the space is nice to watch, there is always a risk that something goes wrong.

The pressure was felt during the moments before the landing, known to astronomers as the "Seven Minutes of Terror".

"More than half of Mars missions have failed after landing," said Deskur. "We will only know seven minutes later that Insight has landed safely because it takes seven minutes for radio waves, moving at the speed of light, to return to the ground," said Deskur.

Some participants at the event confessed to being nervous when they waited for the spacecraft to land.

"I was pretty tense about it. There was a lot of things on the line and it seems that everything went well, "said Apostoleris.

After watching the successful landing, participants were able to see the NASA artifact exhibit at the observatory. Among them, a 3D mural of Mars where people can learn the history of the exploration of the planet.

Participants at the Kopernick Observatory were also able to learn more about the manufacture of the Insight satellite.

The observatory hopes that the landing will inspire future astronomers in our region.

"We hope to excite college kids right now, because they are the first to go to Mars," said Deskur.

Insight will be the first spacecraft to study the geology of Mars.