{"id":12277,"date":"2018-11-26T15:54:24","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T23:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=12277"},"modified":"2018-11-26T20:55:12","modified_gmt":"2018-11-27T04:55:12","slug":"nasas-insight-lander-successfully-touches-down-on-mars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=12277","title":{"rendered":"NASA’s InSight lander successfully touches down on Mars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Mars InSight lander as depicted in an illustration with its instruments deployed on the surface of Mars. Image: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption>
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The NASA InSight lander survived a perilous descent through the thin Martian atmosphere and successfully landed on a flat part of the Red Planet on Monday at 2:54 p.m. ET. It has\u00a0already transmitted its first picture<\/a>\u00a0back to Earth.<\/p>\n

Why it matters:\u00a0<\/strong>The landing marks the first robot to successfully land on Mars since NASA’s Curiosity rover touched down in 2012. The InSight lander arrived on the planet after completing a nearly 300 million mile trip from Earth. It survived a descent referred to by mission controllers as “seven minutes of terror,” during which time the spacecraft followed a series of predetermined maneuvers to slow it down enough for a smooth touchdown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What it’s doing there:\u00a0<\/strong>Unlike other spacecraft sent to Mars, the InSight lander is not designed to seek signs of life, but rather to investigate the planet’s interior for clues into how certain planets, including Earth, formed about 4 billion years ago.<\/p>\n

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\"MissionMission controllers celebrate the landing on Nov. 26.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

What we don’t know:\u00a0<\/strong>While we know the spacecraft touched down and sent a “ping” to Earth, indicating it’s alive and functioning on the planet, we don’t know yet how well the spacecraft survived the rough approach.<\/p>\n