In the Astrotech facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the heatshield is placed on NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. The spacecraft will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018.
Date March 29, 2018
InSightInterior Exploration using Seismic InvestigationsGeodesy and Heat TransportNASAJPLJet Propulsion LaboratoryLSPLaunch Services ProgramULAUnited Launch AllianceAtlas V-401SLC-3EVAFBVandenberg Air Force BaseAstrotechAstrotech Space OperationsLockheed Martin SpaceSEISSeismic Experiment for Interior StructureCNESFrench Space AgencyIPGPInstitut de Physique du Globe de ParisETH ZurichETH DomainSwiss Federal Institutes of Technology DomainMPSMax Planck Institute for Solar System ResearchImperial CollegeHP3Heat Flow and Physical Properties PackageDLRGerman Aerospace CenterRISERotation and Interior Structure Experiment