The First Photos from NASA’s InSight Spacecraft on Mars

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s InSight spacecraft has landed on Mars. Above is the first photo showing the Martian surface on Nov. 26, 2018, the same day InSight touched down.

The photo was captured with The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of NASA’s InSight lander. The camera’s transparent dust cover is still on in this image, to prevent particulates kicked up during landing from settling on the camera’s lens.

NASA reports that “In the coming days, the mission team will unstow InSight’s robotic arm and use the attached camera to snap photos of the ground so that engineers can decide where to place the spacecraft’s scientific instruments. It will take two to three months before those instruments are fully deployed and sending back data.”

InSight’s First Picture on Mars

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech

You can follow along with InSight’s activities by following @NASAInSight on Twitter. This account shares first-hand accounts from the spacecraft with photos and status updates from the mission.

My first picture on #Mars! My lens cover isn’t off yet, but I just had to show you a first look at my new home. More status updates:https://t.co/tYcLE3tkkS #MarsLanding pic.twitter.com/G15bJjMYxa

— NASAInSight (@NASAInSight) November 26, 2018

There’s a quiet beauty here. Looking forward to exploring my new home. #MarsLanding pic.twitter.com/mfClzsfJJr

— NASAInSight (@NASAInSight) November 27, 2018

Watch a Recap of InSight’s Mars Landing

Visit the Mars InSight Mission website for more information.

SEE ALSO – NASA Publishes the First 8K Video from Space

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