NASA’s InSight Mars lander is settling into it’s new home. And of course, it needed to take a selfie to commemorate this life event.
First #selfie! I’m feeling healthy, energized and whole. This is me on #Mars. https://t.co/JJzFgSgh9q pic.twitter.com/wSN2OycHNO
— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) December 11, 2018
The snapshot shows off the lander’s solar panels and deck. The image also displays the science instruments, weather sensor booms, and UHF antenna located on top of the deck. The selfie was taken on December 6th (Sol 10 on Mars) then beamed it back to Earth. NASA tweeted the image on Tuesday.
InSight also sent back 52 photos of its immediate environment. The mosaic image below shows the dusky red soil of the lander’s new home Elysium Planitia, a plain near the Martian equator.
Since touch down on November 26th, NASA engineers have been powering up and testing each of the instruments. Unlike other Mars rovers, InSight isn’t mobile. InSight will remain parked on the Elysium Planitia for the next two years. Scientists will be studying what’s below the surface of the Red Planet during this mission.
