See the first photo of Mars from the new InSight mission

Nov 27, 2018

By Herb Scribner

We now have a beautiful new image of Mars.

What happened: NASA’s spacecraft captured a beautiful and clear image of Mars after it landed on the red planet Monday.

“There’s a quiet beauty here. Looking forward to exploring my new home,” NASA tweeted with the picture just hours after landing.

https://twitter.com/NASAInSight/status/1067244283688669184CC

The spacecraft sent a blurry photo earlier in the day. The InSight lander opened up its solar panels, which gave it an opportunity to recharge its batteries for the mission.

The InSight machine said it is now “soaking up the sun with my solar panels.”

https://twitter.com/NASAInSight/status/1067258215501447168

Arrival: According to CNN, the NASA InSight mission traveled for seven months from Earth to Mars. The spacecraft signaled it arrived after sending a “beep noise” back to NASA.

“Today, we successfully landed on Mars for the eighth time in human history,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said, according to CNN. “InSight will study the interior of Mars and will teach us valuable science as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon and later to Mars. This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners, and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team. The best of NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon.”

The spacecraft traveled 301,223,981 miles at a top speed of 6,200 miles per hour.