MAR 14, 2018

An In-Depth Look at NASA's InSight Mission

WRITTEN BY: Anthony Bouchard


NASA's upcoming Mars InSight mission will explore the inner workings of Mars to give us a better understanding of what makes the red planet tick.

InSight is set to launch from the West Coast of the United States in May, but before that happens, engineers are running some final tests to determine the best way to deploy the lander's myriad of probing tools.

Inside of this controlled laboratory at JPL, NASA engineers simulate the Martian environment to see how InSight's equipment will perform when it eventually reaches the real Martian surface. Here, they can perfect deployment techniques and ensure reliability over the life of the machine as it sits on the red planet's surface.

It's a 360ยบ video, so you'll be able to pan around and explore the laboratory for yourself as the narrator explains what's happening.