NASA has been in the news a lot recently. And for all the right reasons too. ICYMI: They dropped an audio on what Martian wind sounds like. Then tweeted a response to Tony Stark’s SOS from Avengers: Endgame. Their spacecraft Voyager 2 crossed into interstellar space. And now, the NASA InSight lander has sent over its first selfie on Mars!
And it’s beautiful! Check it out
First #selfie! I’m feeling healthy, energized and whole. This is me on #Mars. https://t.co/JJzFgSgh9q pic.twitter.com/wSN2OycHNO
— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) December 11, 2018
Love it! Tell me more
The spacecraft has a 5.9-foot long robotic arm with a camera. The mars selfie is actually a stitched version of 11 overlapping images. We can see the lander’s science platform and solar panels all set up. In the coming weeks, it will conduct seismic investigations and study the interior of the red planet. It has also sent across images of the proposed workspace. This one is a mosaic of 52 images. Its where InSight will collect scientific data from.
Now it just has to choose a spot and begin study cool stuff like Marsquakes. The land pictured is 14-by-7-foot and considered safe to start digging by scientists. Oh, and the lavender coloured crescents are where the seismometer and heat flow probe can be placed. To conduct geology experiments it has 3 crucial instruments:
- Seismometer – To study seismic waves and tectonic activity
- Heat flow probe – Drill into the ground and measure the heat flowing out
- Antennae – To track the lander and study Mars’ motion
With every sound, every image and every new discovery, InSight is winning hearts back on Earth. Take a look at all the love:
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The Martians
https://twitter.com/SSGDude/status/1072616200323112963
2. Our baby
our metal dragon robot takes selfies
Earth: 1
Martians: 0— Brannan (@brannan_vitek) December 11, 2018
3. Looking good, kid
— The Ghetto Gamer (@longie_long) December 11, 2018
4. The reason behind the black bits
https://twitter.com/stevegas4/status/1072622149838483458
5. Exactly
This is amazing. The fact we can see this is incredible. What a time to be alive
— Trevor McNamara 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 (@Trevormc7) December 11, 2018
6. And learning every day
You’re growin up so fast
— Kimberly (@flickerinspace) December 11, 2018
InSight will be on Mars for two Earth years diligently studying its surface. We can’t wait for more of its findings and new insights on our neighbour.