NASA's Next Mars Lander Passes Key Test Ahead of May Launch

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA's Next Mars Lander Passes Key Test Ahead of May Launch
Space.com
By Leonard David, Space.com's Space Insider Columnist |  January 25, 2018 07:27am ET



LITTLETON, Colo. — NASA's next Mars mission — a lander designed to probe the Red Planet’s deep interior and eavesdrop on rumbling Marsquakes — is reaching "ship and shoot" status.

As spacecraft names go, this one's is a mouthful: Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport. That has been mercifully shortened to InSight.



Technicians unfurl the InSight Mars lander's solar arrays during a key test at a Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility in Colorado on Jan. 23, 2018.  Credit: Lockheed Martin

 
A wonderful moment came early Tuesday morning (Jan. 23) for Barbara and me here at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, which built InSight for NASA: the unfurling of the lander's solar arrays.



On the floor with InSight during the solar array test: shameless selfie!  Credit: Leonard David
 

Technicians took great care in monitoring the deployment of the solar panels. That process was part of the late-stage testing campaign ahead of InSight's departure to its launch site, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Liftoff of the spacecraft is targeted for May 5!



InSight's solar panels performed as planned during the test, NASA officials said.  Credit: Lockheed Martin


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