Insight is going in hot, no orbit before Mars entry, 12,300 mph.
At 1.10 am IST (7.40 pm GMT), the spacecraft separates from the cruise stage that carried it to Mars. A minute later, the spacecraft makes a turn to orient itself for atmospheric entry.
At 1.17 am IST (7.47 pm GMT) the spacecraft is hurtling through space at a speed of 12,300 miles per hour (19,800 kilometers per hour) as it begins to enter Mars' atmosphere.
Two minutes later, friction with the atmosphere raises the heat shield temperature to its peak of 2,700 Fahrenheit (1,500 Celsius). This intense heat could cause temporary dropouts in radio signals.
At 1.21 am IST (7.51 pm GMT), the parachutes deploy. Fifteen seconds later, the heat shield separates from the spacecraft. Ten seconds on, the lander's three legs deploy to get ready for touchdown.
At 1.22 am IST (7.52 pm GMT), a radar activates to sense the distance to the ground.
At 1.23 am IST (7.53 pm GMT), the first radar signal is expected, followed 20 second later by the spacecraft's separation from the back shell and parachute. Then, the descent engines, known as retrorockets, begin to fire. InSight's speed slows drastically, from 17 mph to a constant five mph (27 kph to eight kph) for its soft landing.
At 1.24 am IST (7.54 pm GMT) – it's touchdown time. The first "beep" from the spacecraft's X-band radio – indicating whether InSight survived the landing – is scheduled for 1.31 am IST (8.01 pm GMT).
The first image from the surface of Mars is expected at 1.34 am IST (8.04 pm GMT). However, it's possible this image may not arrive until Tuesday.
The orbital pattern of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, flying overhead, means NASA won't know until 7.05 am IST (1.35 am GMT) on Tuesday if InSight's solar arrays have deployed or not. This step is crucial because the quake-sensor is powered by the Sun for its one-year mission.
Submitted November 24, 2018 at 11:06PM by moon-worshiper https://ift.tt/2PTR8ic
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