Watch InSight land on Mars

After a voyage lasting a good six months and covering some 485 million kilometres, NASA’s InSight lander is set to touch down on Mars on 26 November 2018. The landing promises to be a nail-biting spectacle: only if countless processes work together seamlessly will researchers from the Swiss Seismological Service (SED) at ETH Zurich and the Institute of Geophysics be able to gather seismic data that will reveal more about the interior of the Red Planet.

Before landing, InSight will turn so that its heat shield enters the atmosphere first. The shield protects the lander from temperatures of up to 1,500°C. Once the lander has entered the atmosphere, its parachute will deploy, slowing its initial fall velocity (385 m/s) for landing. The lander’s descent engines will fire over the last 100 metres, providing reverse thrust. A seismometer will be positioned as soon as the lander has touched down safely. The seismometer’s data-collection and control electronics were developed at ETH Zurich, and the seismic measurements it records will be analysed by seismologists from the SED and the Institute of Geophysics.