Insight

Nasa has started environmental testing of its Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander, which will explore the interior structure of Mars.

The car-sized lander is being deployed for the mission, which aims to gain an understanding of the formation of rocky planets, such as Earth, as well as assist Nasa in its journey to Mars.

Planned for launch in March 2016, the spacecraft will lift-off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and will land on Mars about six months later.

The environmental testing is designed to evaluate the InSight’s capabilities to operate in and survive deep space travel, and the Martian environment.

In the coming months, the lander will undergo extreme temperatures, interplanetary space simulations under zero air pressure, and other tests at Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems facility near Denver, US.

During the first thermal vacuum test, it will be placed inside an aero-shell capsule and the spacecraft’s cruise stage. This configuration replicates conditions to be used during the seven-month journey to Mars.

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"We want to make sure we deliver a vehicle to Nasa that will perform as expected in extreme environments."

Other tests include reverberant acoustic, separation and deployment shock, and electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing.

The second thermal vacuum test will expose the spacecraft to temperatures and atmospheric pressures matching those on Mars’ surface.

Lockheed Martin has recently completed the assembly of InSight.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems InSight programme manager Stu Spath said: "The environmental testing regimen is designed to wring-out any issues with the spacecraft so we can resolve them while it’s here on Earth.

"This phase takes nearly as long as assembly, but we want to make sure we deliver a vehicle to Nasa that will perform as expected in extreme environments."

Image: Nasa’s InSight lander at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. Photo: courtesy of Nasa / JPL-Caltech / Lockheed Martin.