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The surface of Mars? Psh… been there. With the Curiosity stage well under way, our exploration of the Red Planet is about to take a dive beneath the dust. Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport — InSight, for short — was just confirmed as a new NASA mission, with the space agency set to launch in March of 2016. Based on the Phoenix lander, the craft is tasked with giving us a peek beneath the planet’s surface, armed with tools that include a geodetic instrument from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which will be used to calculate Mars’ rotation axis, a seismic wave sensor and a subsurface heat probe, to measure the planet’s internal temperature. The program has a $425 million budget — a bit shy of the $2.5 billion allocated for Curiosity — not including the costly launch vehicle. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said that InSight will help pave the way for future human missions to Mars, and represents just one of the related projects to come. Hit up the source link below for a closer look at JPL’s latest endeavor.

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NASA InSight tapped for Mars drilling mission in 2016 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s easy to assume that the greater mysteries of the universe should require our space agency’s utmost attention — take that mission to Mars, for example. But not all of NASA’s endeavors are focused on the bookends of the cosmos. In fact, the ISERV Pathfinder (short for International Space Station SERVIR Environmental Research and Visualization System), a new imaging instrument developed and constructed by its Marshall Space Flight Center, will turn a fixed eye on planet Earth from its ISS berth when it goes operational this coming November. A scheduled July 20th launch aboard Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s H-II Transfer Vehicle will ferry the device to its final destination, making it the first of an eventual series of sensor-laden “Earth-observing instruments” designed to track natural disasters, as well as climate change across various populations. Once assembled by the crew and affixed to the station’s Destiny window, the system’s camera will be used to map the globe and disseminate satellite imagery and data to developing nations for preventive planning and relief purposes. Sure, it’s not as exciting as a fly by of Pluto’s newly discovered moon, but this one’s for the greater good, folks. Check out the official presser after the break.

Continue reading NASA ISERV Pathfinder to link up with ISS, keep an eye out for natural disasters

NASA ISERV Pathfinder to link up with ISS, keep an eye out for natural disasters originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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