InSight Mars Lander

On November 26, 2018, NASA’s InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander touched down in Elysium Planitia on Mars, beginning the first mission dedicated to studying the Red Planet’s deep interior through seismology—essentially performing an ultrasound of Mars to understand rocky planet formation.

InSight deployed a seismometer (SEIS) directly on the Martian surface—a first for any Mars mission—and attempted to insert a heat probe (“the mole”) 5 meters deep to measure internal heat flow. The seismometer detected 1,300+ marsquakes through 2022, revealing Mars has a liquid outer core and crust thinner than expected, with seismic activity concentrated in specific regions.

The heat probe struggled with unexpected soil properties, failing to penetrate more than ~30 centimeters despite two years of troubleshooting. The sticky Martian soil lacked the friction needed for the self-hammering mole to burrow, illustrating how assumptions about planetary surfaces can derail even well-designed instruments.

InSight’s landing generated 30+ million impressions as NASA live-streamed the “seven minutes of terror” entry, descent, and landing sequence. The successful touchdown confirmed InSight’s entry heat shield and parachute designs, providing data for future Mars missions including Perseverance rover (2021) and planned sample return missions.

The lander operated until December 2022, when accumulated dust on solar panels reduced power below operational levels. InSight detected Mars’s largest recorded quake (magnitude 5) in May 2022 and revealed the planet’s crust, mantle, and core structure. The mission demonstrated that Mars remains geologically active, with marsquakes providing windows into planetary evolution applicable to understanding Earth and exoplanets.

https://mars.nasa.gov/insight https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ https://www.nature.com/