Space Industry and Business News  
MARSDAILY
InSight's robotic arm ready for some lifting on Mars
by Brooks Hays
Washington (UPI) Dec 7, 2018

NASA's newest Mars lander InSight is slowly readying itself for its scientific mission. The newest images captured by the lander's camera, and shared by NASA, showcase the spacecraft's robotic arm.

The robotic arm can be seen in a flexed position, poised to deploy some of InSight's instruments in the coming days.

One of those instruments is the craft's seismometer. Once deployed, it will be the first seismometer to be placed directly on the surface of Mars. For the next two years, InSight will stay perfectly still while the domed instrument listens to the seismic waves traveling through Mars.

"The seismometer is so sensitive it can detect vibrations as small as a hydrogen atom," Elizabeth Barrett, a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told UPI earlier this year.

The patterns of different seismic waves can reveal details about Mars' insides. Scientists hope these patterns will help them better understand Mars' inner structures and composition, as well as offer insights into the Red Planet's origins and evolution.

InSight landed on Mars late last month. Over the last several days, the craft's Instrument Deployment Camera has been surveying the surroundings, looking for the ideal place to deploy its two main instruments, the seismometer and heat probe.

Later this month, InSight's 16-foot-heat probe will be hammered into Mars' crust. Measuring almost 16 feet, the probe will help scientists track the flow of heat through Mars' interior.

"We can see the first glimpses of our workspace," Bruce Banerdt, the mission's principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a news release. "By early next week, we'll be imaging it in finer detail and creating a full mosaic."

Views of InSight's workspace are aided by the Instrument Context Camera, but the secondary camera's vision isn't quite as clear.

"We had a protective cover on the Instrument Context Camera, but somehow dust still managed to get onto the lens," said Tom Hoffman of JPL, InSight's project manager. "While this is unfortunate, it will not affect the role of the camera, which is to take images of the area in front of the lander where our instruments will eventually be placed."


Related Links
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


MARSDAILY
NASA's Mars InSight Flexes Its Arm
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 07, 2018
New images from NASA's Mars InSight lander show its robotic arm is ready to do some lifting. With a reach of nearly 6 feet (2 meters), the arm will be used to pick up science instruments from the lander's deck, gently setting them on the Martian surface at Elysium Planitia, the lava plain where InSight touched down on Nov. 26. But first, the arm will use its Instrument Deployment Camera, located on its elbow, to take photos of the terrain in front of the lander. These images will help missio ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

MARSDAILY
Terahertz laser for sensing and imaging outperforms its predecessors

DRS to provide power modules for the Air and Missile Defense Radar

Green production of chemicals for industry

Scientists discover a material breaking modern chemistry laws

MARSDAILY
Global Ku-Band HTS platform provides government customers with unprecedented solutions

Shape-shifting origami could help antenna systems adapt on the fly

Boeing tapped by Air Force for jam-resistant satellite comms terminals

Navy nanosatellite launch delayed for further inspection

MARSDAILY
MARSDAILY
First Lockheed Martin-Built GPS III satellite encapsulated for Dec. 18 launch

UK will build its own satellite-navigation system after Brexit

Beijing's space navigation BeiDou program seeks to dethrone US-owned GPS platform

China expands use of BeiDou navigation system in transportation

MARSDAILY
US military declares five missing Marines dead after Japan crash

Chinese-owned leaser Avolon confirms 100 Airbus plane order

Navy orders two E-2D Advanced Hawkeye planes from Northrop Grumman

Wright-Patterson selected as primary F-35 logistics hub

MARSDAILY
Researchers develop method to transfer entire 2D circuits to any smooth surface

Bringing advanced microelectronics to revolutionary defense applications

ETRI exchanged quantum information on daylight in a free-space quantum key distribution

Harnessing the power of 'spin orbit' coupling in silicon: Scaling up quantum computation

MARSDAILY
Copernicus Sentinel-5P ozone boosts daily forecasts

NASA Science Shows Human Impact of Clean Air Policies

New ammonia emission sources detected from space

Ball Aerospace delivers pollution monitoring instrument to NASA

MARSDAILY
Waste plant fire stokes Italy garbage crisis

Slow recycler Turkey seeks better uses for its trash

Lynas mulls 'legal options' after Malaysia imposes new conditions

Austrian court upholds acquittal for cashing in scrap euros









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.