NASA has moved the launch date from this month to 2018 to redesign vacuum seal After previously cancelling this month’s planned launch of NASA’s Mars probe, the space agency announced today that the InSight mission now is set to lift off in May 2018. The InSight mission, first announced in 2012, is designed to give NASA another scientific tool to help researchers understand the makeup of Mars, how it formed and why it evolved so differently from Earth. The probe had originally been scheduled to launch this month, but wascalled off in December when scientists were unable to fix a vacuum leak in its prime science instrument. InSight, which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport, now is expected to be launched May 5, 2018 and land on Mars Nov. 26, 2018. “The science goals of InSight are compelling, and… plans to overcome the technical challenges are sound,” John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement. “The quest to understand the interior of Mars has been a longstanding goal of planetary scientists for decades. We’re excited to be back on the path for a launch, now in 2018.” Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be redesigning, building and testing a new vacuum enclosure for the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, the component that failed in December. The seismometer’s main sensors need to be extremely accurate — able to measure ground movements as small as half the radius of a hydrogen atom. The vacuum seal is needed to protect the sensor from the harsh conditions on Mars. NASA said it should have an idea in August of how much the two-year delay will cost. InSight is comprised of a lander with a robotic arm, two cameras and a thermal probe designed to dig into the Martian surface to calculate the planet’s temperature. Scientists expect the robotic machine to tell them how Mars is cooling, whether the core of Mars is solid or liquid like Earth’s, and why Mars’ crust is not divided into tectonic plates that drift as they do on Earth. Mars has been a major focus for NASA scientists. InSight should be joining the Mars rovers Curiosity and Opportunity, as well as the Mars Reconnaissance and Odyssey orbiters in studying the planet. All of the robotic rovers and orbiters are helping to prepare NASA to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. Related content news analysis Workers with AI skills are getting these pay cash premiums As AI deployments become more critical to digital transformation projects, organizations are struggling to find skilled workers to support the new technology, so they're paying premiums for prospective hires or current employees who obtain the n By Lucas Mearian May 01, 2024 7 mins Generative AI IT Jobs IT Skills news Atlassian Rovo brings AI smarts to enterprise search With Rovo, the company looks to expand existing search capabilities in its products, tapping into documents held in third-party apps and using generative AI to provide a natural language interface. By Matthew Finnegan May 01, 2024 5 mins Atlassian Chatbots Generative AI news Mosyle and Fleet bring new device management options to Apple enterprise Apple's growing enterprise market share is generating tons of opportunity for the company's partners in the device management market. Their approaches reflect the diversity of use. By Jonny Evans May 01, 2024 4 mins Apple Mobile Device Management Mobile Security tip 13 tricks for more efficient Android messaging Save time and communicate more effectively with these easy-to-miss advanced options for Google's Android Messages app. By JR Raphael May 01, 2024 18 mins Smartphones Google Mobile Apps Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe