InSight - journey to Mars

Artist’s impression of the NASA InSight lander on the Martian surface

Image 1/2, Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Artist’s impression of the NASA InSight lander on the Martian surface

Launched on 5 May 2018, NASA’s InSight spacecraft will land on 26 November, just north of the Martian equator, and deploy its solar panels. SEIS, an instrument for recording seismic waves (left of image), and HP³, an instrument developed by DLR to measure the thermal conductivity of the Martian regolith and the heat flow from the interior of the planet (right of image), will be placed on the surface of the planet possibly before the turn of the year.

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HP3 on the Martian surface

Image 2/2, Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/DLR.

HP3 on the Martian surface

DLR's Mars 'Mole' HP3 on the Martian surface after being released by the InSight lander's robotic arm.

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May 2018 saw the launch of the NASA InSight mission, in which a lander will carry out geophysical measurements directly on the surface of Mars to explore the planet's inner structure and thermal balance. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) has contributed to this mission in the form of the HP3 instrument. On 26 November 2018, InSight touched down north of the equator, on the Elysium Planitia plain. Following a test phase, the experiments will commence after the 2018/19 turn of the year. The duration of the mission is initially set at one Mars year, which corresponds to approximately two Earth years. The mission was extended to December 2022.

Mission in details

Launch	5 May 2018 at 13:05 CEST (04:05 PDT)
Launch site	Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA
Launch vehicle	Atlas V-401 (AV-078)
Size	57.3 metres
Launch weight	333 tonnes (launch vehicle and InSight payload)
Upper stage	Centaur with re-ignitable RL10-C engine
Propellants	Thermally-stable kerosene (type RP-1) and liquid oxygen (launch vehicle); liquid hydrogen and oxygen (upper stage)
Mission duration	A little over one Mars year (about two Earth years); 708 sols (Mars days) or 728 Earth days
Ground stations	34-metre and 70-metre antennas belonging to the NASA Deep Space Network (California, Australia, Spain)

Timeline

August 2012	The US space agency NASA approves InSight as the twelfth mission in its Discovery programme
5 May 2018 13:05 CEST (04:05 PDT)	Launch of InSight to Mars. Distance from Earth to Mars on 5 May 2018: 121 million kilometres. Distance to be covered from Earth to Mars (elliptical Hohmann transfer orbit): 485 million kilometres.
26 November 2018 20:52 CET	Landing of InSight on Mars. Planned landing site: Elysium Planitia at 4.5° North, 135.9° East
Late 2020	End of mission (nominal), extended to December 2022

InSight lander

Mission control centre	Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena (Mission) DLR Microgravity User Support Centre (MUSC, Cologne) for HP3 experiments; CNES, SISMOC, Toulouse, SEIS
InSight dimensions	Height: between 83 and 108 centimetres (compression of the legs can only be determined after landing) Width with unfolded solar panels: 6 metres
InSight mass (with transfer stage)	360 kilograms (727 kilograms)
Mass of scientific payload for InSight	50 kilograms
Mass of solar panels	Two panels, each 2.15 metres in diameter, with a total area of approximately seven square metres
Energy supply / generation from solar panels	On a clear day, both solar panels will generate a total of 600–700 watts. On a day when there is dust in the atmosphere, it is assumed that they will generate 200–300 watts, even if the solar panels are covered in dust.
Communications	Via the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and 2001 Mars Odyssey

Experiments

Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP³pronounced ‘H-P cubed’)	First determination of the amount of heat emanating from the planet’s interior by measuring the temperature from the surface down to a depth of five metres and measuring the thermal conductivity. The DLR Institute of Planetary Research led the development of the experiment. An infrared radiometer for determining the temperature of the surface of Mars forms part of the experiment.
Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS)	Seismometer for measuring ground movements on Mars at different frequencies using six sensors, three short period sensors (SPS) and three very broadband sensors (VBB). The instrument was developed by a consortium led by the French space agency (CNES). Germany provided the levelling system (LVL), which was developed and built at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen.
Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment (RISE)	RISE records the shift in the frequencies of radio communications (Doppler effect) in order to measure tiny fluctuations in the inclination of Mars’ axis of rotation, indicating uneven distributions of mass within the planet and the state of its core.

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1 Video

Flight over the InSight landing site in Elysium Planitia

Credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0) | Download

Length: 01:20

On 26 November 2018, the NASA InSight probe landed on Elysium Planitia on Mars at 4.5 degrees north and 135.9 degrees east. This video shows an overflight over the landing site and its surroundings. The video was based on a digital terrain model generated with stereo image data acquired by DLR's High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) of the DLR.

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News

Seismic activity on Mars resembles that found in the Swabian Jura

February 24, 2020
Mars is a seismically active planet – quakes occur several times a day. Although they are not particularly strong, they are easily measurable during the quiet evening hours.
The Mars Mole and the challenging ground of the Red Planet

November 6, 2019
NASA's InSight mission landed on Mars in November 2018. DLR is involved in the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP³) experiment.
InSight mission – a fresh attempt for the first ‘Mole’ on Mars

October 3, 2019
Only five centimetres of the Mars ‘Mole’ are still protruding above the planet’s surface, and it is thought that it could have initially driven itself as much as 35 centimetres into the subsurface.
Robotic arm will raise the support structure and help the Mole hammer

June 5, 2019
There is a new plan to support the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Mars ‘Mole’ that is part of NASA’s InSight mission.
InSight mission – Diagnostic run for the 'Mole' on Mars

March 21, 2019
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) will command the Mars ‘Mole’ to begin a short new round of hammering at the end of March. The seismometer and the camera will closely monitor the movement of the Mole.
InSight mission: the Mars ‘Mole’ takes a break

March 5, 2019
As part of NASA’s InSight mission, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) developed a penetrometer designed to dig three to five metres below the surface of Mars and measure the heat emanating from the planet’s interior.
Good luck ‘Mole’ – DLR’s HP3 experiment starts hammering into the Martian soil

March 1, 2019
On 28 February 2019, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) ‘Mole’ fully automatically hammered its way into the Martian subsurface for the first time. In a first step, it penetrated to a depth between 18 and 50 centimetres into the Martian soil with 4000 hammer blows over a period of four hours. "On its way into the depths, the mole seems to have hit a stone, tilted about 15 degrees and pushed it aside or passed it," reports Tilman Spohn, Principal Investigator of the HP3 experiment. "The Mole then worked its way up against another stone at an advanced depth until the planned four-hour operating time of the first sequence expired. Tests on Earth showed that the rod-shaped penetrometer is able to push smaller stones to the side, which is very time-consuming.
InSight mission – DLR 'Mole' deployed on surface of Mars

February 13, 2019
It stands vertically on flat ground, ready for its historic mission. At 19:18 CET on 12 February 2019, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP³) or 'Mole' was deployed on the Martian surface using the NASA InSight mission's robotic arm. In the coming weeks, the remote controlled penetrometer is expected to make space history by becoming the first probe to reach a depth of up to five metres in the Martian subsurface.
Exploration of the interior of Mars begins

December 21, 2018
It was a task that required centimetre precision. Over the last few weeks, researchers from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) have measured every rock shown in the images of the InSight landing site and used the radiometer that is part of the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP³) experiment to analyse the dust on the surface of Mars, in order to determine the ideal point for deploying the InSight mission's instruments.
DLR's HP3 Mole on board NASA's InSight mission soon to land on Mars

November 19, 2018
It will be the deepest hole ever hammered into another celestial body using manmade technology. During the NASA InSight mission, the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP³), the Mole, which was developed and built by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) will penetrate up to five metres deep into the Martian soil to measure the temperature and thermal conductivity of the substrate materials there.
content/en/articles/news/2018/2/20180505_hp-sup-3-sup-mole-en-route-to-the-red-planet_27218.html?view=renderListEntry[Teaser]
content/en/articles/news/2018/2/20180503_hammering-down-to-martian-depths-countdown-to-nasa-s-insight-mission_27154.html?view=renderListEntry[Teaser]
content/en/articles/news/2018/1/20180302_dlr-mole-hp-and-its-spacecraft-transported-to-their-launch-site_26281.html?view=renderListEntry[Teaser]
content/en/articles/news/2016/20161209_3d-simulation-as-a-helping-hand-for-the-martian-mole_20407.html?view=renderListEntry[Teaser]
content/en/articles/news/2016/20160902_green-light-for-insight-and-mars-mole_19196.html?view=renderListEntry[Teaser]
content/en/articles/news/2016/20160309_insight-mission-s-journey-to-mars-set-for-2018_17092.html?view=renderListEntry[Teaser]
content/en/downloads/news-archive/2012/20120821_nasa-selects-dlr-experiment-for-insight-mission-to-mars_4793.html?view=renderListEntry[Teaser]

Contact

Elke Heinemann

German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Public Affairs and Communications

Telephone: +49 2203 601-2867
Fax: +49 2203 601-3249

Contact
Prof.Dr. Tilman Spohn

HP³ Principal Investigator

German Aerospace Center (DLR)

DLR Institute of Planetary Research

Telephone: +49 30 67055-300
Fax: +49 30 67055-303

Linder Höhe
51147 Köln

Contact
Ulrich Köhler

German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Institute of Planetary Research

Rutherfordstraße 2
12489 Berlin

Contact

InSight - journey to Mars

Artist’s impression of the NASA InSight lander on the Martian surface

HP3 on the Martian surface

Mission in details

Timeline

InSight lander

Experiments

InSight – a geophysical observatory for Mars

InSight in figures

HP3 heat flow probe

Lander and instruments

Landing site

SEIS seismometer

Heat flow

InSight – scientific objectives

Flight over the InSight landing site in Elysium Planitia

Flickr - InSight/HP3 stills (German)

NASA - InSight

DLR InSight mission logbook

Seismic activity on Mars resembles that found in the Swabian Jura

The Mars Mole and the challenging ground of the Red Planet

InSight mission – a fresh attempt for the first ‘Mole’ on Mars

Robotic arm will raise the support structure and help the Mole hammer

InSight mission – Diagnostic run for the 'Mole' on Mars

InSight mission: the Mars ‘Mole’ takes a break

Good luck ‘Mole’ – DLR’s HP3 experiment starts hammering into the Martian soil

InSight mission – DLR 'Mole' deployed on surface of Mars

Exploration of the interior of Mars begins

DLR's HP3 Mole on board NASA's InSight mission soon to land on Mars

DLR institutes and facilities at a glance

Main menu

Chair of the DLR Executive Board is honoured with the Women in Aerospace Europe Outstanding Achievement Award 2020

8th Industrial Days at the DLR site in Lampoldshausen

Pascale Ehrenfreund takes office as President of the IAF

Space – accessibility, diplomacy and cooperation

The DLR delegation during a visit to the JAXA Tsukuba Space Centre on 31 July 2019

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and DLR welcome European policy-makers to Brussels

Dust storms swirl at Mars' north pole

In­Sight - jour­ney to Mars

Artist’s impression of the NASA InSight lander on the Martian surface

HP3 on the Martian surface

Mission in details

Timeline

InSight lander

Experiments

In­Sight – a geo­phys­i­cal ob­ser­va­to­ry for Mars

In­Sight in fig­ures

HP3 heat flow probe

Lan­der and in­stru­ments

Land­ing site

SEIS seis­mome­ter

Heat flow

In­Sight – sci­en­tif­ic ob­jec­tives

Flight over the In­Sight land­ing site in Ely­si­um Plani­tia

Flickr - In­Sight/HP3 stills (Ger­man)

NASA - In­Sight

DLR In­Sight mis­sion log­book

Seis­mic ac­tiv­i­ty on Mars re­sem­bles that found in the Swabi­an Ju­ra

The Mars Mole and the chal­leng­ing ground of the Red Plan­et

In­Sight mis­sion – a fresh at­tempt for the first ‘Mole’ on Mars

Robot­ic arm will raise the sup­port struc­ture and help the Mole ham­mer

In­Sight mis­sion – Di­ag­nos­tic run for the 'Mole' on Mars

In­Sight mis­sion: the Mars ‘Mole’ takes a break

Good luck ‘Mole’ – DLR’s HP3 ex­per­i­ment starts ham­mer­ing in­to the Mar­tian soil

In­Sight mis­sion – DLR 'Mole' de­ployed on sur­face of Mars

Ex­plo­ration of the in­te­ri­or of Mars be­gins

DLR's HP3 Mole on board NASA's In­Sight mis­sion soon to land on Mars

DLR in­sti­tutes and fa­cil­i­ties at a glance

Main menu

Chair of the DLR Ex­ec­u­tive Board is hon­oured with the Wom­en in Aerospace Eu­rope Out­stand­ing Achieve­ment Award 2020

8th In­dus­tri­al Days at the DLR site in Lam­pold­shausen

Pas­cale Ehren­fre­und takes of­fice as Pres­i­dent of the IAF

Space – ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty, diplo­ma­cy and co­op­er­a­tion

The DLR del­e­ga­tion dur­ing a vis­it to the JAXA Tsuku­ba Space Cen­tre on 31 Ju­ly 2019

Meck­len­burg-West­ern Pomera­nia and DLR wel­come Eu­ro­pean pol­i­cy-mak­ers to Brus­sels

Dust storms swirl at Mars' north pole

InSight - journey to Mars

InSight – a geophysical observatory for Mars

InSight in figures

Lander and instruments

Landing site

SEIS seismometer

InSight – scientific objectives

Flight over the InSight landing site in Elysium Planitia

Flickr - InSight/HP3 stills (German)

NASA - InSight

DLR InSight mission logbook

Seismic activity on Mars resembles that found in the Swabian Jura

The Mars Mole and the challenging ground of the Red Planet

InSight mission – a fresh attempt for the first ‘Mole’ on Mars

Robotic arm will raise the support structure and help the Mole hammer

InSight mission – Diagnostic run for the 'Mole' on Mars

InSight mission: the Mars ‘Mole’ takes a break

Good luck ‘Mole’ – DLR’s HP3 experiment starts hammering into the Martian soil

InSight mission – DLR 'Mole' deployed on surface of Mars

Exploration of the interior of Mars begins

DLR's HP3 Mole on board NASA's InSight mission soon to land on Mars

DLR institutes and facilities at a glance

Chair of the DLR Executive Board is honoured with the Women in Aerospace Europe Outstanding Achievement Award 2020

8th Industrial Days at the DLR site in Lampoldshausen

Pascale Ehrenfreund takes office as President of the IAF

Space – accessibility, diplomacy and cooperation

The DLR delegation during a visit to the JAXA Tsukuba Space Centre on 31 July 2019

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and DLR welcome European policy-makers to Brussels