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News > Science and Tech

NASA InSight Mars Makes History, Touches Ground on Red Planet

  • NASA spokesman Jim Bridenstine said,

    NASA spokesman Jim Bridenstine said, "Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history." | Photo: Twitter: NASA

Published 26 November 2018
Opinion

90 million miles away from home, NASA's InSight Lander is set to Arrive on Mars, after minor tweak on its trajectory to ensure a safe landing. 

NASA’s InSight Mars lander is scoping the red planet's dusty hills after touching ground at 19:53 GMT Monday ending a long six-month journey, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed.

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During a press conference, 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. 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."

One of the aims of the lander is to research the “boundaries” of the “different sections inside the planet,” which will allow us to gain greater knowledge regarding the planet’s formation and also about Earth’s process of development, according to Banerdt.

It was smooth sailing through the stars with only one minor adjustment in the trajectory Sunday, to secure the lander’s arrival to the Elysium Planitia, a broad plain on the planet’s surface, some 90 million miles away from home.

Lori Glaze, director for NASA’s Planetary Science Division, 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 neighbor as NASA prepares to send human explorers deeper into the solar system,” she said.

Over half of the space missions sent to Mars have failed, primarily due to the extreme difference in atmospheric gases which is 1% of Earth’s, causing the majority of space crafts to hurtle through at uncontrollable speeds and crash.

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