Our Newest Mission to Mars on This Week @NASA – May 5, 2018

TL;DR

NASA successfully launched the InSight mission to Mars, which will probe deep beneath the surface, while also testing new communications and navigation capabilities. Vice President Pence visited NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and interacted with Mars rovers. The GRACE-FO mission is set to observe Earth's water cycle, and a new nuclear reactor power system for space exploration has been successfully demonstrated.

Transcript

our newest mission to Mars is on its way Vice President Pence visits our Jet Propulsion Laboratory and observing our planet's ever-changing water cycle a few of the stories to tell you about this week at NASA Liftoff of the Atlas V ... our InSight mission to Mars launched May 5th from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. Set to land on Mars in ... Read More

Key Insights

• 💁 InSight's mission to delve beneath Mars' surface offers the opportunity to learn more about the formation of rocky planets.
• 👾 The success of launching InSight from the West Coast showcases American leadership in space exploration.
• 💦 Vice President Pence's visit to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory demonstrates the importance of NASA's work to the country and the world.
• 🤽 The GRACE-FO mission will play a crucial role in observing Earth's changing water cycle and monitoring the planet's climate.
• ✊ The Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology experiment shows promising potential for generating enough electrical power to support long-duration crewed missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
• 🧠 Resurrected data from the Galileo mission provides insights into the relationship between Jupiter and its moon Ganymede, including plasma rain impacts on Ganymede's surface and plasma flows between the two bodies' magnetic environments.
• 🔓 NASA's commitment to exploring and understanding different celestial bodies creates opportunities for unlocking scientific secrets.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the purpose of the InSight mission to Mars?

The InSight mission aims to study the deep interior of Mars to gain knowledge about the formation and structure of rocky planets, including Earth and its Moon.

Q: How will the deep space technology experiment during the InSight mission be beneficial?

The experiment will test new communications and navigation capabilities, which can contribute to future space missions and potentially improve communication for the InSight mission itself.

Q: What did Vice President Pence do during his visit to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory?

Vice President Pence toured the laboratory, visited the mission control center, and even sent a command to the Mars Curiosity rover from there. He also observed the Mars yard and the assembly building of the Mars 2020 rover.

Q: What is the GRACE-FO mission and its objective?

The GRACE-FO mission involves a pair of spacecraft that will observe Earth's water cycle, including ice sheets and crust, building upon the work of the original GRACE mission that operated for 15 years.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• NASA's InSight mission to Mars, launched on May 5th, will study the planet's deep interior and provide insights into how rocky planets are formed.

• The mission also includes a deep space technology experiment that will test new communications and navigation capabilities, potentially aiding in future missions.

• Vice President Pence visited NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, observing Mars rovers and interacting with the mission control center. He praised the InSight team's achievement.