A NASA ballistic capsule dubbed InSight is currently hurtling its way through space at a speed of 13,000 miles per hour . Its destination is Mars , and scientists want to broadcast its onward motion every bit of the way . To do just that , the space agency ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena , California , has launched anew podcasttitled “ On a Mission . ” Hosted by skill journalist Leslie Mullen , the eight - episode series will followInSightas it journeys one C of millions of mile through the cosmos and attempts to land on the “ rough , desert , alien world ” of Mars on November 26 .
If successful , InSight — brusque for Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations , Geodesy and Heat Transport — will be the first robotic explorer to study theRed Planet ’s deep interior . Scientists know a great deal about the planet ’s Earth’s surface , but the same ca n’t be said for its “ inner space , ” including its crust , chimneypiece , and core . There ’s a grownup picture to be gained , too : This information will not only improve our understanding of Mars , but will also help paint a motion picture of how Mars , Earth , Venus , and Mercury formed more than 4 billion days ago .
The first episode of the podcast broaches the “ danger of going to Mars . ” Although InSight successfully launch originally this twelvemonth on May 5,landingand descending will be the watercraft ’s next big challenge . It will enter the Martian atmosphere at a velocity of 14,100 mph , and a chute will be deployed to help it slow down down . Retro rockets will then be fired off , let it easy descend to the surface . “ On Mars the air is thick enough to burn you up on entry , but thin enough to make down with a chute extremely tricky , ” Mullen says in the first installment . Fewer than half of retiring missions to Mars have been successful .
Two episode are presently available on the InSightwebsite , SoundCloud , andApple Podcasts , and a new episode will be released each hebdomad in the lead - up to InSight ’s try landing . next season of the podcast are also expected , and those will focus on unlike NASA mission .
