The Dawn of Interplanetary Geology

[Cow Poke]

The Dawn of Interplanetary Geology

mars insight.jpg

[rogue06]

Source: NASA's InSight lander has touched down on Mars

After seven months of traveling through space, the NASA InSight mission has landed on Mars. A few minutes after landing, InSight sent the official "beep" to NASA to signal that it was alive and well, including a photo of the Martian surface where it landed.

Mission Control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory exploded into celebratory applause and cheers after the touchdown was confirmed. The landing was watched around the world and even broadcast live on the Nasdaq Stock Market tower in New York City's Times Square.

"Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. "InSight will study the interior of Mars and will teach us valuable science as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon and later to Mars. This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners, and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team. The best of NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon."

InSight, or Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is going to explore a part of Mars that we know the least about: its deep interior. It launched May 5. InSight will spend two years investigating the interior where the building blocks below the planet's surface recorded its history.

To reach Mars, InSight cruised 301,223,981 miles at a top speed of 6,200 miles per hour in space, followed by two cube satellites. The suitcase-size spacecraft, called MarCO, are the first cube satellites to fly into deep space. MarCO shared data about InSight when it entered the Martian atmosphere for the landing.

"We've studied Mars from orbit and from the surface since 1965, learning about its weather, atmosphere, geology and surface chemistry," said Lori Glaze, acting director of the Planetary Science Division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "Now we finally will explore inside Mars and deepen our understanding of our terrestrial neighbor as NASA prepares to send human explorers deeper into the solar system."

The landingSource

© Copyright Original Source

[*The story continues with "what happens next" at the link above and includes loads of great images throughout*]

[Sparko]

What is this? A thread that is not about politics?

[Cow Poke]

Yes. Yes, it is.

[Sparko]

Yes. Yes, it is.

Is that allowed?


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I hear Elon Musk said there is a 70% chance that he will move to Mars.

I hope he takes the rest of California with him.

There. back on track!

[Cow Poke]

Is that allowed?


--
I hear Elon Musk said there is a 70% chance that he will move to Mars.

I hope he takes the rest of California with him.

Every once in a while, I find something that I find interesting that doesn't seem to be a flashpoint for controversy, but something we can just sit back and say .... wow.

[Sparko]

Every once in a while, I find something that I find interesting that doesn't seem to be a flashpoint for controversy, but something we can just sit back and say .... wow.

I wish I could go into space.

[Cow Poke]

I wish I could go into space.

I took two Benadryl the other night - I visited other planets.

[Sparko]

We just need to go to Mars in person and do some good old fashioned 'splorin.

[rogue06]

I wish I could go into space.

I might know a guy who can help you with that

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[Sparko]

I might know a guy who can help you with that

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Can you imagine if they had a comedy with that in it today?

[One Bad Pig]

I wish I could go into space.

Same here.

[Sparko]

Same here.

I wish I could go into space. Just to get away from that noise.

[rogue06]

I wish I could go into space. Just to get away from that noise.

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[One Bad Pig]

I wish I could go into space. Just to get away from that noise.

Don't like 4-part harmony?