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This set of images from
the Instrument Deployment Camera shows NASA's InSight lander placing its first
instrument - the SEIS seismometer - onto the surface of Mars on Dec. 19, 2018, completing a major
mission milestone. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Ken Kremer --SpaceUpClose.com &
RocketSTEM –14 January 2019
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – NASA's InSight lander has deployed its first instrument onto the surface of Mars, completing a major mission milestone – namely the SEIS seismometer. The initial deployment began just before Christmas and continues today as the science and engineering team continue active work to fully deploy SEIS onto the Red Planet’s surface and position if carefully as they optimize it before starting the science gathering phase.
“Images from the lander show the seismometer on the ground, its copper-colored covering faintly illuminated in the Martian dusk,” NASA reported on Dec. 19. “It looks as if all is calm and all is bright for InSight, heading into the end of the year.”
SEIS is the first seismometer ever placed on the surface of another planet and will be used to measure seismic waves caused by marsquakes, meteorite strikes and other phenomena on Mars.
Deployment activities for InSight continue despite the US Government shutdown which has halted work by about 95% of NASA employees.
The InSight mission is operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Some employees have been granted wavers to carry out critical activities.
InSight's timetable of activities on Mars has gone better than we hoped," said InSight Project Manager Tom Hoffman, who is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in a statement before Christmas.
"Getting the seismometer safely on the ground is an awesome Christmas present."
This week SEIS has been leveling and lowering itself closer to the ground.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – NASA's InSight lander has deployed its first instrument onto the surface of Mars, completing a major mission milestone – namely the SEIS seismometer. The initial deployment began just before Christmas and continues today as the science and engineering team continue active work to fully deploy SEIS onto the Red Planet’s surface and position if carefully as they optimize it before starting the science gathering phase.
“Images from the lander show the seismometer on the ground, its copper-colored covering faintly illuminated in the Martian dusk,” NASA reported on Dec. 19. “It looks as if all is calm and all is bright for InSight, heading into the end of the year.”
SEIS is the first seismometer ever placed on the surface of another planet and will be used to measure seismic waves caused by marsquakes, meteorite strikes and other phenomena on Mars.
Deployment activities for InSight continue despite the US Government shutdown which has halted work by about 95% of NASA employees.
The InSight mission is operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Some employees have been granted wavers to carry out critical activities.
InSight's timetable of activities on Mars has gone better than we hoped," said InSight Project Manager Tom Hoffman, who is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in a statement before Christmas.
"Getting the seismometer safely on the ground is an awesome Christmas present."
This week SEIS has been leveling and lowering itself closer to the ground.
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NASA's InSight lander
placed its seismometer on Mars on Dec. 19, 2018. This was the first time a
spacecraft robotically placed a seismometer onto the surface of another planet. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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InSight touched down softly on the Red Planet just
two months ago days after Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, 2018 as programmed inside
the 81-mile-long (130-kilometer-long) targeted landing ellipse on the plains of ‘Elysium Planitia.’
SEIS is the first of two deck mounted science instruments that will be deployed to the Red Planet’s surface over the next few months.
Engineers commanded the robot’s robotic arm to pluck SEIS off from the lander deck and place it onto the surface on Dec. 19.
Check out the animated GIFs from NASA showing the deployment from various angles and various days including today, Jan 15. The GIFs were created from real images taken by InSight’s cameras on Mars.
SEIS is the first of two deck mounted science instruments that will be deployed to the Red Planet’s surface over the next few months.
Engineers commanded the robot’s robotic arm to pluck SEIS off from the lander deck and place it onto the surface on Dec. 19.
Check out the animated GIFs from NASA showing the deployment from various angles and various days including today, Jan 15. The GIFs were created from real images taken by InSight’s cameras on Mars.
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A fish-eye view of
NASA's InSight lander deploying its first instrument – the SEIS seismometer - onto the surface of Mars,
taken by the spacecraft's Instrument Context Camera (ICC) on Dec. 19, 2018. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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"Seismometer deployment is as important as
landing InSight on Mars," said InSight Principal Investigator Bruce
Banerdt, also based at JPL. "The seismometer is the highest-priority
instrument on InSight: We need it in order to complete about three-quarters of
our science objectives."
The robotic arm was checked out first to be sure it was operating properly before entrusted with commands to deploy the seismometer - known as the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS.
“Engineers tested the commands for the lander, making sure a model in the test bed at JPL deployed the instruments exactly as intended. Scientists also had to analyze images of the Martian terrain around the lander to figure out the best places to deploy the instruments,” according to the InSight team.
Finally, after carefully analyzing all the images and test runs the team was ready and on Dec. 19 commanded the arm to pick up SEIS off from the lander deck and place it on the red Martian soil directly in front of the lander - “about as far away as the arm can reach — 5.367 feet, or 1.636 meters, away.”
SEIS will observe and gather data on how seismic waves, or marsquakes, travel through the deep interior of Mars. By studying the interior ground motion scientists can elucidate the layering of the planet's crust, mantle and core. In turn these results will inform researchers on how all rocky bodies are formed, including Earth and its Moon.
“Each marsquake acts as a kind of flashbulb that illuminates the structure of the planet's interior. By analyzing how seismic waves pass through the layers of the planet, scientists can deduce the depth and composition of these layers.”
"Having the seismometer on the ground is like holding a phone up to your ear," said Philippe Lognonné, principal investigator of SEIS from Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) and Paris Diderot University. "We're thrilled that we're now in the best position to listen to all the seismic waves from below Mars' surface and from its deep interior."
The 7 foot long arm will also be used to deploy the other deck mounted surface science instrument – namely the heat probe - known as the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Probe, or HP3.
InSight soft landed on Mars barely two
weeks ago on Nov 26, 2018, following a 7 month, 301 million mile (484 million
km) interplanetary journey from Earth. She now starts a 2-year mission to
explore the Red Planet’s mysterious deep interior.
The robotic arm was checked out first to be sure it was operating properly before entrusted with commands to deploy the seismometer - known as the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS.
“Engineers tested the commands for the lander, making sure a model in the test bed at JPL deployed the instruments exactly as intended. Scientists also had to analyze images of the Martian terrain around the lander to figure out the best places to deploy the instruments,” according to the InSight team.
Finally, after carefully analyzing all the images and test runs the team was ready and on Dec. 19 commanded the arm to pick up SEIS off from the lander deck and place it on the red Martian soil directly in front of the lander - “about as far away as the arm can reach — 5.367 feet, or 1.636 meters, away.”
SEIS will observe and gather data on how seismic waves, or marsquakes, travel through the deep interior of Mars. By studying the interior ground motion scientists can elucidate the layering of the planet's crust, mantle and core. In turn these results will inform researchers on how all rocky bodies are formed, including Earth and its Moon.
“Each marsquake acts as a kind of flashbulb that illuminates the structure of the planet's interior. By analyzing how seismic waves pass through the layers of the planet, scientists can deduce the depth and composition of these layers.”
"Having the seismometer on the ground is like holding a phone up to your ear," said Philippe Lognonné, principal investigator of SEIS from Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) and Paris Diderot University. "We're thrilled that we're now in the best position to listen to all the seismic waves from below Mars' surface and from its deep interior."
The 7 foot long arm will also be used to deploy the other deck mounted surface science instrument – namely the heat probe - known as the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Probe, or HP3.
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This is NASA InSight's
first selfie on Mars. It displays the lander's solar panels and deck. On top of
the deck are its science instruments, weather sensor booms and UHF antenna. The
selfie was taken on Dec. 6, 2018 (Sol 10). Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Dr. Kremer is a research scientist, journalist and photographer based in the KSC area.
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Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
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