Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2018 November 27
                                      [2]
                       InSight's First Image from Mars
                   Image Credit: NASA [3] / JPL-Caltech [4]

Explanation: Welcome to Mars, NASA Insight. Yesterday NASA's robotic
spacecraft InSight [5] made a dramatic landing on Mars [6]  after a six-month
trek [7]  across the inner Solar System. Needing to brake [8]  from 20,000 km
per hour to zero in about seven minutes [9] , Insight decelerated by as much
as 8 g's [10] and heated up to 1500 degrees Celsius [11] as it deployed a heat
shield, a parachute, and at the end, rockets. The featured image [12] was the
first taken [13]  by InSight on Mars, and welcome proof that the spacecraft
had shed enough speed to land softly [14] and function on the red planet.
During its final descent, InSight's rockets kicked up dust [15] which can be
seen stuck to the lens cap of the Instrument Context Camera [16] . Past the
spotty dirt, parts of the lander [17]  that are visible include cover bolts at
the bottom and a lander footpad on the lower right. Small rocks are visible
across [18]  the rusty red soil, while the arc across the top of the image is
the Martian horizon [19]  dividing land and sky. Over the next few weeks
InSight [20]  will deploy several scientific instruments, including a
rumble-detecting seismometer [21] . These instruments are expected to give
humanity unprecedented data involving the interior of Mars [22] , a region
thought to harbor formation clues [23]  not only about Mars, but Earth [24] .

                        Tomorrow's picture: dark soul

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [36] (MTU [37] ) & Jerry Bonnell [38]
                                  (UMCP [39] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [40] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [41]
              A service of: ASD [42]  at NASA [43]  / GSFC [44]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [45]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1811/FirstLight_InSight_1024_annotated.jpg
  [3] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [4] https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
  [5] https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/mission/overvie...
  [6] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mars/ove...
  [7] https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/21905/insight...
  [8] https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?featur...
  [9] ap120731.html
  [10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-force
  [11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius
  [12] https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA...
  [13]
https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/22159/insight...
?site=insight
  [14] https://youtu.be/kyD0q57zw40
  [15] ap180623.html
  [16] https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/spacecraft/abou...
  [17] https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/spacecraft/abou...
  [18]
https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/22159/insight...
?site=insight
  [19] ap150512.html
  [20] https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/
  [21] https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/spacecraft/inst...
  [22] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/308/572...
  [23] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000JGR...10517...
  [24] ap070325.html
  [25] ap181126.html
  [26] archivepix.html
  [27] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [28] lib/aptree.html
  [29] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo...
  [30] calendar/allyears.html
  [31] /apod.rss
  [32] lib/edlinks.html
  [33] lib/about_apod.html
  [34] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?dat...
  [35] ap181128.html
  [36] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [37] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [38] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnel...
  [39] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [40] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [41] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Priv...
  [42] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [43] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [44] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [45] http://www.mtu.edu/

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