This image shows InSight's domed Wind and Thermal Shield, which covers its seismometer. The image was taken on the 110th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The seismometer is called Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23177

NASA's InSight lander used the scoop on its robotic arm to begin trickling soil over the cable connecting its seismometer to the spacecraft on March 14, 2021, the 816th Martian day, or sol of the mission. Scientists hope this make it easier to detect marsquakes by helping to insulate the cable from the wind and from the extreme temperature shifts that cause the cable to expand and contract. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24450

A fish-eye view of NASA's InSight lander deploying its first instrument onto the surface of Mars. InSight's robotic arm placed the seismometer on Dec. 19, 2018, around the time of dusk on Mars. These images were taken by the Instrument Context Camera (ICC), a fish-eye camera under the spacecraft's deck. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22978

S69-39588 (20 July 1969) --- Dr. Garry Latham, with the Lamont Geological Observatory, studies seismometer tracings in the Mission Control Center?s ASEP control room. The electronic data was coming from the Passive Seismic Experiments Package which the Apollo 11 astronauts had just deployed on the surface of the moon. Dr. Lamont is the principal investigator for the PSEP, a component of the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package (EASEP). PSEP uses three long-period seismometers and one short-period vertical seismometer for measuring meteoroid impacts and moonquakes. Such data will be useful in determining the interior structure of the moon; for example, does the moon have a core and mantle like Earth? Here, the center trace shows evidence of activity on the moon. The PSEP was sensitive enough to pick up the footsteps of astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. as they walked on the moon.

S69-39587 (20 July 1969) --- Dr. Garry Latham (left) with the Lamont Geological Observatory, studies seismometer tracings in the Mission Control Center's (MCC) ALSEP control room. The electronic data was coming from the Passive Seismic Experiments Package (PSEP) which the Apollo 11 astronauts had just deployed on the surface of the moon. Dr. Lamont is the principal investigator for the PSEP, a component of the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package (EASEP). PSEP uses three long-period seismometers and one short-period vertical seismometer for measuring meteoroid impacts and moonquakes. Such data will be useful in determining the interior structure of the moon; for example, does the moon have a core and mantle like Earth? Here, the flapping of the PSEP's solar panels is picked up and registered as a tracing. The PSEP was sensitive enough to pick up the footsteps of astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., as they walked on the moon.

NASA's InSight lander placed its seismometer onto Mars on Dec. 19, 2018. This was the first time a seismometer had ever been placed onto the surface of another planet. The seismometer is the copper-colored object in this image, which was taken around Martian dusk. The seismometer, called Seismic Explorations for Interior Structure (SEIS), will measure seismic waves caused by marsquakes, meteorite strikes and other phenomena. Watching how these waves travel through Mars' interior will let scientists study how the planet's crust, mantle and core are layered. It will also reveal more about how all rocky bodies are formed, including Earth and its Moon. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22956

The seismometer reading from the impact made by the Apollo 15 Saturn S-IVB stage when it struck the lunar surface is studied by scientists in the Mission Control Center. Dr. Gary Latham (dark suit, wearing lapel button) of Columbia University is responsible for the design and experiment data analysis of the Passive Seismic Experiment of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP). The man on the left, writing, is Nafi Toksos of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Looking on at upper left is Dave Lamneline, also with Columbia.

A copy of one of the sensors on NASA InSight's seismometer, compared to a 2-euro coin (about 1 inch wide). The short-period seismometer has three of these sensors. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22926

Engineers and technicians inspect the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on January 9th 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Rebekah Austin, Avionics Lead and Deputy Systems Engineer, configures a breadboard test for the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) Seismometer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland on May 14th, 2025. NASA/Denny Henry

Mitchell Hamann and John Pindell configure the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument for testing in the Electromagnetic Interference/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) Chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Feb 17, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Mike Guinto

(L-R) Engineering Technician Alex Schaeffer, Mechanical Engineer Brie Ludwig , and Mechanical Engineer Mitchell Hamann inspect the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in preparation for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on March 31, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Engineering technician Jancilon Viegas installs thermocouples onto the The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in preparation for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., March 30, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument is installed for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., March 30, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) in Electromagnetic Interference/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) Chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Feb 11, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Mechanical Engineer Brie Ludwig inspects the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in preparation for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on March 31, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) team members install the instrument for testing in the Electromagnetic Interference/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) Chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Feb 13, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Mechanical Engineer Mitchell Hamann disassembles a Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) flight electrical board chassis in the avoinics lab at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland on October 22, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. NASA/Desiree Stover.

Team members install the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., March 30, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Principal Investigator Dr. Mehdi Benna inspects the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on January 9th, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Naoma McCall (Left), Science Co-Investigator and deployment lead and Mechanical Engineer Brie Ludwig inspect the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on February 5th, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument is installed for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., March 30, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Lead Payload Systems Engineer Sam Hicks inspects the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on January 12th, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument is installed for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., March 30, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Artemis Scientist, Trevor Graff, performs instrument deployment exercises with a medium fidelity mock up of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) in the lunar simulant bin at the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab, Orlando, Fl., Aug 6, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Katie Mellos.

The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument is installed for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., March 30, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) team members assemble the flight battery connectors to the connector bracket in a lab at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland on September 9th, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. NASA/Katie Mellos.

Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) team members Computer Engineer James Olsen & Principle Investigator Dr. Medhi Benna perform electrical test procedures in the avoinics lab at at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region.NASA/Desiree Stover.

The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) flight battery is installed for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., October 8th, 2025.. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Lead Thermal Engineer Juan Rodriguez-ruiz (left) and Project Manager Neerav Shah inspect the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in preparation for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on April 3rd, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

From left, mechanical engineer Gabrielle Ludwig, technician Alex Schaeffer, and mechanical engineer Mitchell Hamann install the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument onto a test plate in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., March 30, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Engineering Technician Eric Norris, and Mechanical Engineer Mitchell Hamann guide the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in to the Thermal Vacuum Chamber preparation for testing at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., March 30, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

(L-R) Mechanical Engineer Brie Ludwig, Project Manager Neerav Shah and Deputy Project Manager Stephanie Vidal inspect the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on February 5th, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Electrical test engineer Thomas Schluszas configures the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument for testing in the Electromagnetic Interference/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) Chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Feb 17, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Mechanical Engineer John Seixal (left) and Engineering Technician Alex Schaeffer prepare the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) flight battery for vibration testing in a lab at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland on September 29th, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. NASA/Denny Henry.

Artemis Scientist, Trevor Graff, performs instrument deployment exercises with a medium fidelity mock up of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) in the lunar simulant bin at the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab, Orlando, Fl., Aug 6, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Katie Mellos.

The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) medium fidelity instrument mock up is configured for instrument deployment exercises in the lunar simulant bin at the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab, Orlando, Fl., Aug 6, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Katie Mellos.

A detail view of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station, (LEMS) bus prior to thermal blanket installation inside the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Jan 12, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Electrical Systems Lead, James Fraction, inspects the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in preparation for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on April 3rd, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Chief Operating Officer of Quest Thermal Group Phillip Tyler installs Integrated Multilayer Insulation (IMLI) on the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station for Artemis (LEMS) bus inside a cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Jan 13, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

(L-R) Contamination Control Engineer Diane Briczinski, Acting Science Mission Directorate Chief Engineer Synthia Tonn, and Lead Payload Systems Engineer Sam Hicks inspect the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument in the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. on January 12th, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

Artemis Scientist, Trevor Graff, performs instrument deployment exercises with a medium fidelity mock up of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) in the lunar simulant bin at the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab, Orlando, Fl., Aug 6, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Katie Mellos.

S69-59547 (20 Nov. 1969) --- The seismometer reading from the impact made by the Lunar Module ascent stage when it struck the lunar surface. The impact was registered by the Passive Seismic Experiment Package which was deployed on the moon by the Apollo 12 astronauts. PSEP, which is a component of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, will detect surface tilt produced by tidal deformations, moonquakes, and meteorite impacts. The LM's ascent stage was jettisoned and sent journeying toward impact on the moon after astronauts Charles Conrad Jr. and Alan L. Bean returned to lunar orbit and rejoined astronaut Richard F. Gordon Jr. in the Command and Service Modules. Information from the PSEP is transmitted to Earth through the ALSEP's central station and monitored by equipment at the Manned Spacecraft Center.

Engineer Marleen Sundgaard watches as a test version of NASA's Mars InSight lander grasps a model of the spacecraft's seismometer. This work was done at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22952

This is one of the last images ever taken by NASA's InSight Mars lander. Captured on Dec. 11, 2022, the 1,436th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, it shows InSight's seismometer on the Red Planet's surface. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25680

NASA's InSight spacecraft and its recently deployed Wind and Thermal Shield were imaged on Mars on Feb. 4, 2019, by the HiRISE camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. On Feb. 2, 2019, InSight's robotic arm placed the special shield over its seismometer on the Martian surface to protect the instrument from wind and extreme temperatures. The green object in this image is the InSight lander; the white dot just below it is the shield, which is especially bright and reflective. The shield is a little less than 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from the lander. The dark circles on either side of the lander are its solar panels. The total width of the lander with both panels open is 19 feet, 8 inches (6 meters). The image also shows the darkened ground where InSight's retrorockets blew away lighter-colored dust as the lander touched down on Nov. 26, 2018. Scientists are interested in imaging this location over time to watch how quickly the lighter-colored Martian dust covers that darkened surface. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23043

NASA's Farside Seismic Suite (FSS) is assembled in a clean room at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in November 2023. Two sensitive seismometers packaged in the suite's cube-within-a-cube structure will gather NASA's first seismic data from the Moon in nearly 50 years and take the first-ever seismic measurements from the Moon's far side. FSS will operate continuously for at least 4½ months, working through the long, cold lunar nights. Seen here is the inner cube structure, with the suite's large battery at rear. The gold, puck-shaped device at left is the Short Period sensor, or SP, which measures motion in three directions using sensors etched into a trio of square silicon chips, each about 1 inch (25 millimeters) wide. At right, within the silver cylindrical enclosure, is the Very Broadband seismometer, or VBB, the most sensitive seismometer ever built for use in space exploration. It can detect ground motions smaller than the size of a single hydrogen atom, measuring up-and-down movement using a pendulum held in place by a spring. Constructed as a backup instrument (a "flight spare") for NASA's InSight Mars lander by the French space agency, CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales), the VBB was slightly modified and packaged in a new enclosure for lunar use. The suite's computer and electronics are packed alongside the battery and seismometers. After being encased in insulation, this inner cube was suspended within a protective outer cube, which was in turn covered with a shiny insulating blanket. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26300

NASA's InSight lander deployed its Wind and Thermal Shield on Feb. 2, 2019 (sol 66). The shield covers InSight's seismometer, which was set down onto the Martian surface on Dec. 19, 2018. This image was taken by the Instrument Deployment Camera on the lander's robotic arm. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22959

The spectrogram of vibrations (frequency spectrum over time) recorded by two of the three sensors of the short period seismometer on NASA's InSight lander on Mars. This spectrogram shows the first 1,000 seconds, roughly 20 minutes, of InSight's first seismic data from the Red Planet. The vibrations of the lander are due to the wind passing over the spacecraft, particularly the large solar arrays. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22925

From left, mechanical engineer Brie Ludwig, technician Alex Schaeffer, and mechanical engineer Mitchell Hamann stow a seismometer after Electromagnetic Interference testing of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., May 15, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Desiree Stover

Technician Alex Schaeffer (left), and mechanical engineer Mitchell Hamann stow a seismometer after Electromagnetic Interference testing of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., May 15, 2026. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Desiree Stover

NASA's InSight Mars lander uses a seismometer to study the inner layers of Mars. Seismic signals from quakes change as they pass through different kinds of materials; seismologists can "read" the squiggles of a seismogram to study the properties of the planet's crust, mantle, and core. This infographic shows those layers, and how InSight uses quakes to study them. It also shows a close-up of InSight and the major sources of marsquakes. Most quakes are created by heat and pressure inside the planet, which cause rock to fracture; another source is meteors striking the surface. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25282

The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument for NASA's InSight mission to Mars undergoes a checkout for the spacecraft's assembly, test and launch operations (ATLO) in this photo taken July 20, 2017, in a Lockheed Martin clean room facility in Littleton, Colorado. The SEIS was provided by France's national space agency (CNES) with collaboration from the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Germany. The InSight mission (for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) is scheduled to launch in May 2018 and land on Mars Nov. 26, 2018. It will investigate processes that formed and shaped Mars and will help scientists better understand the evolution of our inner solar system's rocky planets, including Earth. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21846

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of a meteoroid impact that was first detected by the agency's InSight lander using its seismometer. This crater was formed on Feb. 18, 2021. MRO's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera captured this scene in color. The ground is not actually blue; this enhanced-color image highlights certain hues in the scene to make details more visible to the human eye – in this case, dust and soil disturbed by the impact. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25409

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of a meteoroid impact that was first detected by the agency's InSight lander using its seismometer. This crater was formed on Aug. 30, 2021. MRO's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera captured this scene in color. The ground is not actually blue; this enhanced-color image highlights certain hues in the scene to make details more visible to the human eye – in this case, dust and soil disturbed by the impact. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25411

This artist's rendering shows a cutaway of the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure instrument, or SEIS, which will fly as part of NASA's Mars InSight lander. SEIS is a highly sensitive seismometer that will be used to detect marsquakes from the Red Planet's surface for the first time. There are two layers in this cutaway. The outer layer is the Wind and Thermal Shield -- a covering that protects the seismometer from the Martian environment. The wind on Mars, as well as extreme temperature changes, could affect the highly sensitive instrument. The inside layer is SEIS itself, a brass-colored dome that houses the instrument's three pendulums. These insides are inside a titanium vacuum chamber to further isolate them from temperature changes on the Martian surface. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22320

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of a meteoroid impact that was later associated with a seismic event detected by the agency's InSight lander using its seismometer. This crater was formed on May 27, 2020. MRO's Context Camera originally located the impact. Then, the spacecraft's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera captured this scene in color. The ground is not actually blue; this enhanced-color image highlights certain hues in the scene to make details more visible to the human eye – in this case, dust and soil disturbed by the impact. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25410

In a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in March 2024, engineers and technicians prepare the agency's Farside Seismic Suite (FSS) for testing. The cube-shaped payload contains two instruments that will gather NASA's first seismic data from the Moon in nearly 50 years and take the first-ever seismic measurements from the Moon's far side. FSS will operate continuously for at least 4½ months, working through the long, cold lunar nights. Here, engineers move FSS onto a fixture that will allow them to tilt the payload, simulating the pull of lunar gravity in the direction at which one of the instrument's two seismometers is sensitive to motion. (The Moon's gravity is about one-sixth of Earth's.) Called an ambient tilt test, this activity allows engineers to check the seismometers' performance. The two seismometers are packaged together with a large battery, a computer, and electronics inside a cube structure that's surrounded by several layers of insulation and suspended within an outer protective cube, which is in turn covered with a shiny insulating blanket. The suite's single solar panel can be seen right of center. Surrounding the instrument are (from left): Nik Schwarz, Vik Singh, Joanna Farias, and Bert Turney. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26298

NASA's InSight Mars lander detected a giant meteoroid strike on Dec. 24, 2021, the 1,094th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. InSight's seismometer recorded seismic signals that are not in the range of human hearing. In order to make the signals audible, the data was sped up 100 times. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25582

An artist's rendition of Mars, highlighting one of InSight's goals -- to figure out just how tectonically active Mars is today and how often meteorites impact it. Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the California coast between May 5 through June 8, 2018, and land on Mars six months later. InSight will give the Red Planet its first thorough check up since it formed, 4.5 billion years ago. The InSight lander carries a seismometer, SEIS, that listens to the pulse of Mars. The seismometer records the waves traveling through the interior structure of a planet. Studying seismic waves tells us what might be creating the waves. On Mars, scientists suspect that the waves may be caused by marsquakes, meteorites striking the surface, or hot, molten magma moving at great depths underneath the surface. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22230

This is NASA InSight's second full selfie on Mars. Since taking its first selfie, the lander has removed its heat probe and seismometer from its deck, placing them on the Martian surface; a thin coating of dust now covers the spacecraft as well. This selfie is a mosaic made up of 14 images taken on March 15 and April 11 - the 106th and 133rd Martian days, or sols, of the mission - by InSight's Instrument Deployment Camera, located on its robotic arm. InSight's first selfie showed its instruments still on the deck. Now that they're removed, the viewer can see the spacecraft's air pressure sensor (white object in center), the tether box for its seismometer and the tether for its heat probe running across the deck. Also visible is its robotic arm and grapple. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23203

The science deck of NASA's InSight lander is being turned over in this April 29, 2015, photo from InSight assembly and testing operations inside a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. The large circular component on the deck is the protective covering to be placed over InSight's seismometer after the seismometer is placed directly onto the Martian ground. InSight, for Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is scheduled for launch in March 2016 and landing in September 2016. It will study the deep interior of Mars to advance understanding of the early history of all rocky planets, including Earth. Note: After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19670

This mosaic, made of 52 individual images from NASA's InSight lander, shows the workspace where the spacecraft will eventually set its science instruments. The workspace is roughly 14 by 7 feet (4 by 2 meters). The lavender annotation shows where InSight's seismometer (called the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS) and heat flow probe (called the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, or HP3) can be placed. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22874

NASA's InSight mission tests an engineering version of the spacecraft's robotic arm in a Mars-like environment at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The five-fingered grapple on the end of the robotic arm is lifting up the Wind and Thermal Shield, a protective covering for InSight's seismometer. The test is being conducted under reddish "Mars lighting" to simulate activities on the Red Planet. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22806

ForeSight, a fully functional, full-size model of NASA's InSight lander, practices deploying a model of the lander's Wind and Thermal Shield while engineers Phil Bailey (left) and Jaime Singer (center) look on. The Wind and Thermal Shield protects InSight's seismometer. This testing was done at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Bailey is wearing sunglasses to block the bright yellow lights in the test space, which mimic sunlight as it appears on Mars. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22955

Trevor Graff, the Artemis Science Team Hardware and Testing Lead, handles the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) mass mockup during testing with the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on April 21st, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/ James Blair

Trevor Graff, the Artemis Science Team Hardware and Testing Lead, deploys a mockup of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) during testing with the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on April 21st, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/ James Blair

NASA's InSight spacecraft flipped open the lens cover on its Instrument Context Camera (ICC) on Nov. 30, 2018, and captured this view of Mars. Located below the deck of the InSight lander, the ICC has a fisheye view, creating a curved horizon. Some clumps of dust are still visible on the camera's lens. One of the spacecraft's footpads can be seen in the lower right corner. The seismometer's tether box is in the upper left corner. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22893

Trevor Graff, the Artemis Science Team Hardware and Testing Lead, deploys a mockup of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) during testing with the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on April 21st, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/ James Blair

Trevor Graff, the Artemis Science Team Hardware and Testing Lead, deploys a mockup of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) during testing with the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on April 21st, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/ James Blair

Naoma McCall, Science Co-Investigator, Deployment Lead, performs instrument deployment exercises with a medium fidelity mock up of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) in the lunar simulant bin at the Florida Space Institute Exolith Lab, Orlando, Fl., Aug 7th, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Katie Mellos.

Trevor Graff, the Artemis Science Team Hardware and Testing Lead, deploys a mockup of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) during testing with the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on April 21st, 2025. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/ James Blair

This set of images shows NASA's InSight lander deploying its first instrument onto the surface of Mars, completing a major mission milestone. InSight's robotic arm is white, with a black, handlike grapple at the end. The grapple is holding onto the copper-colored seismometer. The color-calibrated image was taken on Dec. 19, 2018, around dusk on Mars, with InSight's Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), which is on the lander's robotic arm. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22977

A detail view of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station, (LEMS) inside the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Jan 30, 2026. The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station for Artemis (LEMS) is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Mike Guinto

Engineers practice deploying InSight's instruments in a lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Several of them are wearing sunglasses to block the bright yellow lights in the test space, which mimic sunlight as it appears on Mars. The yellow lights are used to test cameras which are the same as those used by InSight on Mars. The entire lab space in the center of the image has been sculpted to mimic the terrain in front of the lander on Mars, creating more reliable test conditions. The area in the center of the image is the "workspace" where the lander's instruments can be set down; wood blocks have been laid down to mark the perimeter of these areas. Rocks have been chosen to match the size, shape and location of those in front of InSight on Mars. In the center of the image is a model of the lander's copper-colored seismometer; at the bottom-right is a second model of the seismometer used for a different kind of testing. In the lower left corner of the image is a bag of crushed granite, which is used in this lab to simulate Martian sand. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22744

From left, systems safety engineer Kenny Porter, Morehead State University integration and testing engineer Ryan Collins, technician Alex Schaeffer, and mechanical engineer Mitchell Hamann lift the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument during testing at the Space Science Center at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY on June 5, 2026. Morehead State University provided LEMS’ telecommunication system and will operate the instrument on the surface. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Denny Henry

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and President of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Dr. Philippe Baptiste sign an agreement for the Farside Seismic Suite (FSS), Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The FSS will return the first lunar seismic data from the far side of the Moon. CNES is contributing one of the seismometers to this payload, which will be delivered via NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payloads Services (CLPS) initiative, based on heritage capabilities from the Mars InSight mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory InSight deputy principal investigator Sue Smrekar gives remarks during a NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and President of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Dr. Philippe Baptiste sign an agreement for the Farside Seismic Suite (FSS), Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The FSS will return the first lunar seismic data from the far side of the Moon. CNES is contributing one of the seismometers to this payload, which will be delivered via NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payloads Services (CLPS) initiative, based on heritage capabilities from the Mars InSight mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and President of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Dr. Philippe Baptiste sign an agreement for the Farside Seismic Suite (FSS), Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The FSS will return the first lunar seismic data from the far side of the Moon. CNES is contributing one of the seismometers to this payload, which will be delivered via NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payloads Services (CLPS) initiative, based on heritage capabilities from the Mars InSight mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA Headquarters acting director of the Planetary Science Division Lori Glaze gives remarks during the NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory InSight project manager Tom Hoffman gives remarks during a media briefing regarding the NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport), Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Systems engineer Sam Hicks (left) and mechanical engineer Mitchell Hamann, adjust testing equipment during testing of the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument at the Space Science Center at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY on May 29, 2026. Morehead State University provided LEMS’ telecommunication system and will operate the instrument on the surface. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Desiree Stover

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory InSight principal investigator Bruce Banerdt gives remarks during the NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory InSight principal investigator Bruce Banerdt gives remarks during the NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory InSight deputy principal investigator Sue Smrekar gives remarks during a NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory InSight project manager Tom Hoffman gives remarks during a NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory InSight project manager Tom Hoffman gives remarks during a NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The flag of the United States stands on the surface of Mars. It is mounted on the housing of NASA's Viking 1's nuclear power system. Also seen are the U.S. Bicentennial symbol and a student designed Viking emblem. The bright flat surface near the center is the seismometer container. This picture was taken on July 23 at about 2:30 p.m. Mars time. The view is west of the spacecraft and includes a series of low hills. The blocky hill in the center appears to be part of a crater rim. The dark, rocky stripes may be material ejected from the crater. The light areas are dune-like and may be accumulations of windblown sand or dust. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00388

NASA Headquarters senior communications official Dwayne Brown moderates a media briefing regarding the NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport), Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JoAnna Wendel of NASA Headquarters ask questions from the social media during the NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory InSight principal investigator Bruce Banerdt gives remarks during the NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

From left, systems engineer Sam Hicks, mechanical engineer Mitchell Hamann, quality engineer Luis Mendez, and technician Lucas Keim lift the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) instrument during testing at the Space Science Center at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY on May 28, 2026. Morehead State University provided LEMS’ telecommunication system and will operate the instrument on the surface. LEMS is a compact, autonomous, and self-sustaining seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term, monitoring of the lunar seismic environment at the South Polar region. Photo Credit: NASA/Desiree Stover

During a prelaunch briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Annick Sylvestre-Baron, Deputy Project Manager for InSight Seismometer Investigation at CNES, speaks to members of the media. The presentation focused on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018, atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg. The spacecraft will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface studying the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes.

NASA Headquarters senior communications official Dwayne Brown moderates a media briefing regarding the NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport), Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

In a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in March 2024, engineers and technicians work to prepare the agency's Farside Seismic Suite (FSS) for environmental testing to simulate conditions it will encounter in space. Along with being placed in a vacuum chamber and subjected to extreme temperatures, the instrument suite will undergo severe shaking that mimics the rocket's motion during launch. The cube-shaped payload contains two instruments that will gather NASA's first seismic data from the Moon in nearly 50 years and take the first-ever seismic measurements from the Moon's far side. FSS will operate continuously for at least 4½ months, working through the long, cold lunar nights. The two seismometers are packaged together with a large battery, a computer, and electronics inside a cube structure that's surrounded by several layers of insulation and suspended within an outer protective cube, which is in turn covered with a shiny insulating blanket. The suite's single solar panel can be seen at center. On top is a white radiator that will allow the suite to shed heat generated by its electronics during the hot lunar daytime hours. The puck-like object atop the radiator is the suite's antenna, for communicating with two small relay satellites that will orbit the Moon and send data to Earth. Pictured (from left): Joanna Farias, and Bert Turney, and Hsin-Yi Hao. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26299

S71-17609 (4 Feb. 1971) --- These two individuals are examining a seismic reading in the Mission Control Center's ALSEP Room during the Apollo 14 S-IVB impact on the moon. Dr. Maurice Ewing (left) is the director of the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory at Columbia University. David Lammlein, a Columbia graduate student, is on the right. The Apollo 14 Saturn IVB stage impacted on the lunar surface at 1:40:54 a.m. (CST), Feb. 4, 1971, about 90 nautical miles south-southwest of the Apollo 12 passive seismometer. The energy release was comparable to 11 tons of TNT. Dr. Gary Latham of the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory is the principal investigator for the Passive Seismic Experiment, a component of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package.

In a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in March 2024, technician Nik Schwarz prepares the agency's Farside Seismic Suite (FSS) for testing. The cube-shaped payload contains two instruments that will gather NASA's first seismic data from the Moon in nearly 50 years and take the first-ever seismic measurements from the Moon's far side. FSS will operate continuously for at least 4½ months, working through the long, cold lunar nights. The two seismometers are packaged together with a large battery, a computer, and electronics inside a cube structure that's surrounded by several layers of insulation (the shiny, reflective material seen here) and suspended within an outer protective cube, which is in turn covered with a shiny insulating blanket. A technician is here attaching a stiffening brace to the bottom of the FSS outer cube structure. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26341

The craters seen here in blue were formed by a meteoroid impact on Mars on Sept. 5, 2021. The impact was the first to be detected by NASA's InSight mission; the image was taken later by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. The initial impact itself created a small marsquake that was detected by InSight's seismometer. The instrument recorded seismological data that showed the moment the meteoroid entered Mars' atmosphere, its explosion into pieces in the atmosphere, and finally, the impact that created a series of at least three craters in the surface. MRO then flew over the approximate site where the impact was "felt" to look for darkened patches of ground using its Context Camera. After finding this location, HiRISE captured the scene in color. The ground is not actually blue; this enhanced-color image highlights certain hues in the scene to make details more visible to the human eye – in this case, dust and soil disturbed by the impact. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25408