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LANDING SITEElysium Planitia
LAT4.50°
LON135.62°
MARS
Nov 26, 2018
LANDING DATE
2018
4 years 1 month
MISSION DURATION
TOTAL
-95 to -5 C (measured)
SURFACE TEMP
AT LANDING SITE
358
KG
MASS
7
INSTRUMENTS
SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD
InSight is a lander mission by NASA / JPL on Mars. Landed November 26, 2018. Landing site: Elysium Planitia.
ABOUT INSIGHT
InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) was the first mission dedicated to studying the deep interior of Mars. Its French-built SEIS seismometer was the most sensitive ever deployed on another planet, detecting over 1,300 marsquakes during the mission. These measurements determined that Mars has a liquid iron core about 1,830 km in radius, a crust 24-72 km thick, and a mantle structure different from Earth’s. The mission ended in December 2022 when dust accumulation on its solar panels reduced power below operational levels.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- Mars is seismically active u2014 over 1,300 marsquakes detected
- Mars has a liquid iron core about 1,830 km in radius
- Mars crust is 24-72 km thick, thinner than expected
- Detected meteoroid impacts on Mars in real time
- Mars interior is different from Earth: large core, thin crust
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- First mission dedicated to studying Mars deep interior
- Most sensitive seismometer ever deployed on another planet
- Seismometer detected over 1,300 marsquakes
- First to measure Mars core size, mantle, and crust
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (7)
SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure) u2014 French/CNES
HP3 (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package) u2014 German/DLR
RISE (Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment)
IDC (Instrument Deployment Camera)
ICC (Instrument Context Camera)
TWINS (Temperature and Wind for InSight)
Pressure sensor
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Mass358 kg (789 lbs)
PowerSolar panels (600 (initial)W)
CommunicationsUHF relay via MRO/MAVEN, X-band direct
Design Life2 years
Landing DateNovember 26, 2018
Mission EndDecember 21, 2022
ProgramDiscovery
SURFACE DATA
Surface Temperature-95 to -5 C (measured)
Surface Pressure6.1 mbar average (measured daily variations)