NASA's InSight Successfully Lands on Mars To Peer Inside The 'Red Planet'

After seven months of traveling through space, the NASA InSight mission has landed on Mars. A few minutes after landing, InSight sent the official "beep" to NASA to signal that it was alive and well, including a photo of the Martian surface where it landed.

The InSight will operate on Mars for the next two Earth years, deploying a seismometer, a heat sensor and radio antenna to probe the Red Planet's interior. Scientists hope that InSight will uncover signs of tectonic activity and clues about the planet's past. Those findings could illuminate how Mars became the desolate desert world we see today.

"Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said.

"InSight will study the interior of Mars and will teach us valuable science as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon and later to Mars. This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners, and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team. The best of NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon," he added.

NASA's InSight Mars lander acquired this image of the area in front of the lander using its lander-mounted Instrument Context Camera.