NASA InSight on track to land on Mars tomorrow

After being launched in May of this year, NASA's InSight is on track to land on the red planet tomorrow afternoon. This will be the first landing on Mars since the Curiosity rover landed back in 2012!

The InSight mission is designed to explore, monitor, and analyze the surface of Mars and everything below the surface. The lander is seeking how a rocky body evolves and forms into a planet and determine tectonic activity below the surface. This mission is going to help give us a deeper understanding of Mars and how it and other planets formed throughout their lifespan.

Instruments:

SEIS is a seismometer that will monitor the inner vibrations of Mars and help figure out the properties of Mars's mantle and inner core.

HP3 is a heat probe that will go into the surface of Mars and measure the heat that is coming from the deep interior of the planet.

RISE is a radio science experiment which will monitor Mars's "wobble" from the sun's gravity acting on it, which will help bring answers about the planet's metallic core.

InSight is set to land on Mars Monday, November 26th, with live NASA coverage starting at 2pm EST on NASA TV.