{"id":18217,"date":"2018-12-20T20:57:08","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T12:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasas-insight-lander-carefully-sets-down-its-seismometer-on-the-martian-surface\/"},"modified":"2018-12-20T20:57:08","modified_gmt":"2018-12-20T12:57:08","slug":"nasas-insight-lander-carefully-sets-down-its-seismometer-on-the-martian-surface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasas-insight-lander-carefully-sets-down-its-seismometer-on-the-martian-surface\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s InSight lander carefully sets down its seismometer on the Martian surface"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mars
An image from NASA\u2019s InSight lander shows the probe\u2019s robotic arm putting a seismometer on Mars. This is the first time a seismometer has been placed onto the surface of another planet. (NASA \/ JPL-Caltech Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After three weeks of checking out the scene on the Red Planet, NASA\u2019s InSight lander has placed its first scientific instrument on the Martian surface.<\/p>\n

The probe\u2019s robotic arm pulled InSight\u2019s seismometer, known as the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure or SEIS, from the spacecraft\u2019s deck on Wednesday and slowly, gingerly set it down on a flat spot directly in front of the lander. The arm stretched out to nearly its maximum reach, 5.367 feet away from the deck.<\/p>\n

Deploying SEIS is a major milestone for InSight\u2019s two-year mission to monitor seismic activity and internal heat flow on the Red Planet. (The mission\u2019s name is an acronym that stands for \u201cInterior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\u201cSeismometer deployment is as important as landing InSight on Mars,\u201d InSight principal investigator Bruce Banerdt, who\u2019s based at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a news release. \u201cThe seismometer is the highest-priority instrument on InSight: We need it in order to complete about three-quarters of our science objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n

SEIS\u2019 seismic sensors are sensitive enough to detect ground movements amounting to less than a hydrogen atom\u2019s radius. For that reason, the guts of the French-built instrument have to be protected inside a vacuum seal.<\/p>\n

The experiment is currently sitting on ground that is tilted 2 or 3 degrees. InSight\u2019s next job is to level the seismometer\u2019s position in preparation for collecting the first science data.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look forward to popping some Champagne when we start to get data from InSight\u2019s seismometer on the ground,\u201d Banerdt added. \u201cI have a bottle ready for the occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n