Arts & Entertainment
Mars Landing Photos: See NASA's InSight Touch Down On Red Planet
See photos of NASA's historical Mars InSight lander as the world prepares to count down to the spacecraft's long-awaited touch-down.
Let the countdown begin. Today will go down in history as NASA's spacecraft called InSight prepares to make its landing on the planet Mars. So far, the lander is right on schedule to touch down this afternoon, Monday Nov. 26, 2018, as the world anxiously watches along.
What exactly is InSight? The spacecraft, the name of which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, was created by NASA to study the "inner space" of Mars. This includes the red planet's crust, mantle and core. While InSight's sojourn won't be the first venture to Mars, it will be a historical one as "no other country has managed to set and operate a spacecraft on the dusty red surface," reports AP. Historically, the U.S. has pulled off seven successful Mars landings in the last four decades, AP also cites, with one only failing to succeed its mission. Curiosity about the red mysterious red planet has only grown stronger, since the last U.S. venture to Mars way back in 2012 with the Curiosity Spacecraft.
Yesterday, a media briefing was held in Pasadena, California, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where scientists and various NASA workers involved with InSight's creation answered questions about the two-year mission. The laboratory, home to InSight's flight control team, is even hosting a 360-degree online broadcast of the landing as seen from inside the spacecraft.
With viewing parties held around the world, join us in the countdown for Insight's historical touch-down. Below are highlights from NASA's pre-landing briefing as well as photos of some of the red planet's landmark moments in history. Be sure to check back through out the day for new photos of the countdown and landing.
See photos of NASA's InSight Mars Lander 2018 below:
A video feed of the InSight lander mission control room is seen at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, in Pasadena, California. The NASA InSight lander arrived successfully on Mars' surface. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
This photo provided by NASA shows an image on Mars that its spacecraft called InSight acquired using its robotic arm-mounted, Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) after it landed on the planet on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. (NASA via AP)
An engineer smiles next to an image of Mars sent from the InSight lander shortly after it landed on Mars in the mission support area of the space flight operation facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)
People celebrate as the InSight lander touchdowns on Mars at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
An engineer smiles next to an image of Mars sent from the InSight lander shortly after it landed on Mars in the mission support area of the space flight operation facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)
A image transmitted from Mars by the InSight lander is seen on a computer screen at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Engineers embrace after the Mars landing of InSight in the mission support area of the space flight operation facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)
Engineers celebrate as the InSight lander touch downs on Mars in the mission support area of the space flight operation facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (AP Photo/(Al Seib /Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)
From left, NASA officials Jim Bridenstine, Michael Watkins, Tom Hoffman, Bruce Banerdt, Andrew Klesh and Elizabeth Barrett celebrate the Mars landing of InSight during a press conference at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Monday. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Members of the media take photos as the InSight lander prepares to land on Mars' surface at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
This image made available by NASA shows the planet Mars. This composite photo was created from over 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s. In our solar system family, Mars is Earth’s next-of-kin, the next-door relative that has captivated humans for millennia. The attraction is sure to grow on Monday with the arrival of a NASA lander named InSight. (NASA via AP, File)
This illustration made available by NASA in 2018 shows the InSight lander drilling into the surface of Mars. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is scheduled to arrive at the planet on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. (NASA via AP)
Journalists gather at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory awaiting the landing of InSight on Mars a few hours ahead of the time of that the NASA spacecraft is scheduled to land on planet. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A man takes pictures of a model of the CubeSat MarCO which trails the InSight lander on its mission to Mars at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Monday in Pasadena, California. The technology onboard each CubeSat will provide NASA the ability to quickly transmit status information about InSight as it lands on Mars. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
NASA chief scientist Jim Green talks about Mars InSight during a social media briefing Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
In this photo, a spacecraft specialist prepares NASA's InSight spacecraft for thermal vacuum testing in the flight system's "cruise" configuration for its 2016 flight to Mars. The testing simulates conditions of outer space that InSight will experience during its flight. The photo was taken on May 29, 2015, in a clean room of spacecraft assembly and test facilities at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Lockheed Martin)
Tim Priser, quality director at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, shows a small piece of the type of heat shield used on the Mars InSight, during a social media briefing Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
This illustration made available by NASA in October 2016 shows This is an illustration showing a simulated view of NASA's InSight lander about to land on the surface of Mars. This view shows the underside of the spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Tom Hoffman, InSight Project Manager, NASA JPL talks about the Mars InSight landing site during the pre-landing briefing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
Bruce Banerdt, InSight Principal Investigator, NASA JPL, talks about Mars InSight during the pre-landing briefing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
Brian Clement, Planetary Protection lead for MarCO, NASA JPL, talks about Mars Cube One (MarCO) during the Mars InSight pre-landing briefing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters talks about Mars InSight during the pre-landing briefing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
Mars: A History In Photos
This image provided by NASA, assembled from a series of January 2018 photos made by the Mars Curiosity rover, shows an uphill view of Mount Sharp, which Curiosity has been climbing. Spanning the center of the image is an area with clay-bearing rocks that scientists are eager to explore; it could shed additional light on the role of water in creating Mount Sharp.
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity marked 2,000 days on the red planet by Martian standards. A Martian sol, or solar day, is equivalent to 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds. So 2,000 days on Mars equal 2,055 days here on Earth. (NASA)
The NASA robotic Mars geologist, Spirit, is shown landing on Mars to examining the planet in this artistic rendering of the Jan. 04, 2004 mission. (Photo by REX/Shutterstock)
This picture was taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) onboard the Mars Express orbiter, in color and 3D, in orbit 18 on Jan. 14, 2004. It shows a vertical view of a mesa in the true colors of Mars. The summit plateau stands about 3 km above the surrounding terrain. The original surface was dissected by erosion, only isolated mesas remained intact. The large crater has a diameter of 7.6 km. (Photo by REX/Shutterstock)
This panorama is a mosaic of images taken by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on the NASA Mars rover Curiosity while the rover was working at a site called "Rocknest" in October and November 2012.
The center of the scene, looking eastward from Rocknest, includes the Point Lake area. After the component images for this scene were taken, Curiosity drove 83 feet (25.3 meters) on Nov. 18 from Rocknest to Point Lake. From Point Lake, the Mastcam is taking images for another detailed panoramic view of the area further east to help researchers identify candidate targets for the rover's first drilling into a rock.
The image has been white-balanced to show what the rocks and soils in it would look like if they were on Earth. The raw-color version, shows what the scene looks like on Mars to the camera. (Photo by NASA/Jpl-Caltech/Msss/REX/Shutterstock)
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity held its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera about 10.5 inches (27 centimeters) away from the top of a rock called 'Bathurst Inlet' for a set of eight images combined into this merged-focus view of the rock. This context image covers an area roughly 6.5 inches by 5 inches (16 centimeters by 12 centimeters). Resolution is about 105 microns per pixel. (NASA/Jpl-Caltech/Malin Sss/REX/Shutterstock)
Researchers identify water-rich meteorite linked to Mars crust on Jan. 03, 2013. NASA-funded researchers have found it contains 10 times more water than other Martian meteorites from unknown origins. This new class of meteorite was found in 2011 in the Sahara Desert.
Designated Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, and nicknamed 'Black Beauty,' it weighs approximately 11 ounces (320 grams). After more than a year of intensive study, a team of U.S. scientists determined the meteorite formed 2.1 billion years ago during the beginning of the most recent geologic period on Mars, known as the Amazonian. (NASA/REX/Shutterstock)
This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows the patch of rock cleaned by the first use of the rover's Dust Removal Tool (DRT). (NASA/Jpl-Caltech/Msss/REX/Shutterstock)
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on May 28, 2008. (Encyclopaedia Britannica/Uig/REX/Shutterstock)
Mars Pathfinder was launched on Dec. 4, 1996 at 1:58:07 am EST on a Delta II rocket. After an uneventful journey, the spacecraft safely landed on the surface of Mars on July 4, 1997. (NASA/Jpl/REX/Shutterstock)
Check back for new photos as NASA's InSight touches down on Mars!
Lead image by AP Photo/(Al Seib /Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool; Sourced from AP News
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