Atlas V Launches NASA InSight
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's InSight Mars soars into space after launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California before dawn on May 5, 2018.
NASA's InSight Mars lander plan
InSight's landing zone is a flat stretch of the western Elysium Planitia, near the Martian equator.
Leonard David and InSight Mars Lander
On the floor with InSight during the solar array test: shameless selfie!
Formation of Rocky Bodies
Artist rendition of the formation of rocky bodies in the solar system - how they form and differentiate and evolve into terrestrial planets.
InSight Mars Lander Lowers Seismic Sensor
This still from a NASA animation shows the InSight Mars lander as it lowers a seismic sensor to the Martian surface in order to study the planet's interior.
Spread Your Solar Wings
Technicians unfurl the InSight Mars lander's solar arrays during a key test at a Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility in Colorado on Jan. 23, 2018.
Solar Array Test
InSight's solar panels performed as planned during the test, NASA officials said.
NASA's InSight Mars lander and techs
Technicians give NASA's Insight Mars lander a thumbs-up during a final round of testing at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. in Colorado. InSight is due to launch toward the Red Planet next year.
InSight Mars Lander Covers Seismic Sensor
The InSight Mars lander lowers a protective cover over the seismic sensor used to dig into the Martian surface in this animation still.
Putting a Name Chip on Mars InSight
A spacecraft specialist in a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, where the InSight lander is being tested, affixes a dime-size chip onto the lander deck in November 2015. A second microchip will be added in 2018.
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