APRIL Jet Propulsion 2015 Laboratory VOLUME 45
NUMBER 4
InSight taking shape
Lander is readied for early 2016 launch By Mark Whalen
Every space mission is unique. JPL’s mission launched from anywhere but sion will for the first time probe deep next mission to Mars, being readied Florida. After it lifts off from Vanden- beneath the Red Planet’s surface to for launch next winter, is no exception. berg Air Force Base in Santa Bar- investigate Mars’ evolution. A seis- When InSight lifts off March 4 on bara County in pre-dawn darkness, the mometer and a heat-flow probe will its mission to study the interior of the rocket's glare could for the first time study the interior. Red Planet, it will be the first launch to be visible from JPL. “This has been a personal crusade of Mars that can possibly be viewed from For principal investigator Bruce Ba- mine for about 30 years,” said Banerdt. rooftops at JPL. nerdt, it’s been a long wait, but his “I started working on the development InSight will be the first NASA Mars patience will soon be repaid. The mis- Continued on page 2
InSight’s parachute is tested at NASA’s Ames Research Center but thefidelityofmysimulations was culate tectonicdeformation on Mars, topography datafrom Vikingtocal that timeIwastryingtousegravity and graduate school,”Banerdt added.“At questions I’vebeenworkingonsince answers tosomeofthegeophysical because theseismologycanprovide rocky planetsformed. by answeringquestionsabouthow standing aboutEarth,aswellMars, other measurements willadd tounder take me30yearstogetthere.” ’90s,” headded.“Ididn’t thinkitwould proposal opportunitysincetheearly single Marsmissionandtoevery team haveprobably proposed toevery and someoftheotherscientistsonmy crodevices Labbackinthelate’80s.“I of amicro-seismometer withtheMi INSIGHT “I’ve alwaysbeeninterested init InSight's seismometerreadings and Continued from page1 - - - environmental testprogram,” hesaid. build upthespacecraftandget intoan maining asweare justnowstartingto Hoffman. “There are manyactivitiesre in Denver, saidProject ManagerTom the fullsystematLockheedMartin have beenintegratedandtestedwith of the pieces have beendelivered and provided byEuropean partners.Many payload elements,someofwhichare ments, auxiliary sensors and other grate themission’s fullsuiteofinstru is scrambling to acquire, test and inte evolution oftheplanet.” core formation and the overall thermal structure,to internal suchascrustand address otheraspectsofMarsrelated those analyses,andwillallowusto the information that will finally enable mology isthebestmethodforgetting thickness oftheMartiancrust.Seis limited byourtotalignoranceofthe “The bigmilestonesare thedelivery With 11monthstolaunch,theteam InSight spacecraft inassembly at LockheedMartininDenver - - - - and heat-flowprobe ontheMartian catch-up, hesaid. plete, buttheflightcomputerisplaying spacecraft’s electronics are alsocom cruise from EarthtoMars. Some ofthe that willpowerthespacecrafton system, batteriesandthesolararrays of its landingradar, communications tem are completed,along withmost basic structure andpropulsion sys tivity,” headded. another planet,sothisisacriticalac to remotely deposit instruments on tests. “InSightisthefirstspacecraft ment andsystem-levelenvironmental system verification,instrumentdeploy Hoffman, notingamongthemsurface- and uniquesystem-leveltests,”said elements; thenwewillperformthekey of thefinalpayloadandspacecraft InSight willplaceitsseismometer Banerdt saidtheInSightspacecraft’s Continued onpage3 - - - -
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InSight spacecraft in test Universe
INSIGHT Continued from page 2 ment from the lander that will disturb The nearby access to Vandenberg surface with a robotic arm developed our science measurements. We have will provide a big advantage for the by JPL. worked hard to eliminate this and all team, as it will allow those who sup- “We’re hoping to get the equivalent of the other potential noise sources. ported mission development to partici- look at Mars’ interior as we had on Lack of motion is our friend once we pate directly by witnessing the launch, Earth back in the 1930s,” said Banerdt. have deployed the instruments and said Hoffman. “A lot more people who “At that time, seismology was a young finished the commissioning phase of worked on the mission can attend the science, and they have developed a lot the mission.” launch with their friends and families,” of the techniques we have today. But InSight is funded through NASA’s he said. “Seeing a launch is a great they had the advantage of being able Discovery Program of innovative mis- culmination for the development team to observe for many years.” sions and is based on the Lockheed- and an exhilarating start for the opera- The science has advanced quite a built Phoenix lander, which operated tions team.” bit, for both planets. on Mars for almost six months in 2008. “It’s starting to get real exciting, like “Our seismometer is sensitive Updated avionics and larger solar pan- on a roller coaster,” said Banerdt. “You enough to detect movement of our els are the major differences in the spend a long time going up that first lander’s solar arrays creating induced design. incline, then look over the top, just be- vibrations transferred through the land- Of the mission’s 20 co-investigators, fore it starts to go down—that’s what er feet,” noted Hoffman. “We want to four are from JPL: Matt Golombek, I feel like right now. Because between be as immobile as possible and not Troy Hudson, Bill Folkner and Sami now and launch it’s going to be a real induce any noise into the environ- Asmar. roller-coaster ride.” n BRIGHTENING THE LAB BRIGHTENING THE kinetic artwork.The “Science Patio” sitsinfront ofBuilding who wasrenowned forhis The latestinstallationfrom 183. Dan Goodsandhisteam Director FrankMalina honors formerJPL Photos byLoisKim. JPL visualstrategist ,
Continued onpage5
Universe 4 Brightening theLab Continued from page4 Photos by DanGoods. Center inBuilding 264. Orbiting MissionsOperations Foundry; andtheEarth “left field”attheInnovation the DeepSpaceNetwork; more than30spacecraftand communications among light asareaction tolive Building 180,whichflashes Pulse onthefirstfloorof other artworksuchasThe The Malinaexhibitjoins
Universe 5 B N rie ews f s for JPL’s AdvancedProject DesignTeam (Team X). trophysical PlasmasGroup andHeliophysicsAdvancedConcepts Office, andwassciencelead consideration. grams. Findingsfrom themeetingwillbeforwarded totheNASAAdvisoryCouncilfortheir heliophysics roadmap, anddiscussionsabouttheorganization ofresearch andanalysispro Murphy getsheliophysicspost Ryan, Trevor, HopeandJohn. stepdaughter Tessa; andgrandchildren daughters AnneandElizabeth;sonPaul; opment fortheCIA.Heretired in1998. he servedasdirector ofresearch anddevel Washington, DCanda12-yearperiodwhen the NationalAeronautics &SpaceCouncilin years, withahiatusof18monthstoworkfor tions Program Office. coast unitoftheTechnology andApplica assist mission. He also managed the east Venus/Mercury 1973,NASA’s firstgravity- band SyntheticAperture Radar project and Imaging Radar-C/X-sion, the Spaceborne Mariner, theShuttle RadarTopography Mis Philip Eckman Neil Murphy Eckman issurvivedbyhiswife,Helen; P Murphy joinedJPLin1992asaGalileoexperimentscientist.HehasledtheSpaceandAs Overall, EckmanworkedatJPLfor27 assings er, Surveyor, Voyager, 1960s, includingRang missions starting in the to manyofJPL’s major in 1956.Hecontributed neer, diedJan. 30. retired electrical engi included overviews of the current flight program, the soon-to-be-released tee. Heattendedarecent meetingoftheHeliophysicsSubcommitteethat ics Division. subcommittee oftheNASAAdvisoryCouncilthatadvisesHeliophys ship Program intheOffice oftheChiefScientist,has beenelectedtoa Eckman joinedJPL Philip Eckman,83,a This isthefirstyearofMurphy’s three-year appointmentonthecommit Neil Murphy, manageroftheStrategicUniversitiesResearch Partner - - - - - daughters. He issurvivedbyhiswife,Lou,andtwo engineer withJPLFacilities,diedFeb.25. Memorial ParkinWhittier. ters. Funeralserviceswere heldatRoseHills three grandsonsandfivegreat-granddaugh vid Jr., Matthew andMark;daughterRachel; Service MedalsforhisworkatJPL. and Environmental Instrumentation Section. ments DivisionandmanageroftheInfrared also servedasdeputymanageroftheInstru known astheSpitzerSpaceTelescope). He the SpaceInfrared Telescope Facility(now missions in the 1960s and1970s as well as year career, hecontributedtoJPL’s Mariner Feb. 25. He issurvivedbyhiswife,Elena;sonsDa Weber workedatJPLfrom 1955to1995. Gary Weber, 81, a retired plant services Norris received three NASAExceptional Norris joinedJPLin1967.Duringhis28- Retired managerDavidNorris, 81,died ------
Universe 6 Pasadena, CA91109. 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Education Directorate ofthe the Communicationsand Universe ispublishedby CLASSIFIED ADSAT JPL’S ONLINE NEWSSOURCE JPL Photo Lab Photography Mark Whalen Editor universe@jpl.nasa.gov READ ANDSUBMIT E-MAIL USAT http://jplspace
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