Mars landing: InSight probe landing brings NASA one step closer to putting man on Mars

InSight had been travelling through space for seven months before landing on Mars this week. After landing, InSight sent the official beep to NASA signalling it had landed and was functioning properly. The probe also transmitted a photo of the surface of Mars where it had landed. 

The Mission Control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory broke into applause and cheers when the successful touchdown was announced. 

The world was captivated by the mission’s landing and it was broadcast live on the Nasdaq Stock Market tower in Times Square, New York. 

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said: “Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history. 

“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. 

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“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.”

Vice President Mike Pence spoke to Mr Bridenstine to congratulate him and tweeted his congratulations to the team saying: “Spoke to @NASA Administrator @JimBridenstine to congratulate him on the @NASAInsight #MarsLanding -truly a monumental achievement!

“Proud of our NASA Team!”

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What is InSight? 

InSight is short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport. 

The probe will be exploring the area of Mars which little is known about, deep inside its interior.

After launching on May 5, it took nearly seven months to travel through space and reach Mars. 

InSight travelled 301,223,981 miles through space, followed by two cube satellites. 

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InSight is set to spend two years investigating the interior of the planet, hopefully revealing more about the planet’s history and building blocks. 

The suitcase-size spacecraft, called MarCO, are the first cube satellites to ever travel into deep space. 

MarCO transmitted data about InSight when it entered the Martian atmosphere to land.

Lori Glaze, acting director of the Planetary Science Division in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate said: “We’ve studied Mars from orbit and from the surface since 1965, learning about its weather, atmosphere, geology and surface chemistry.

“Now we finally will explore inside Mars and deepen our understanding of our terrestrial neighbour as NASA prepares to send human explorers deeper into the solar system.”