S & # 39; will happen during the descent & # 39; of & # 39 Mars; Insight and "6 Seconds of Terror"?

When Insight mission of NASA comes in & # 39; Mars on Monday (26 & # 39; November), the probe faces a formidable challenge – perhaps the fastest s & # 39; now the journey & # 39; seven & # 39; its months – touching on the planet's surface.

Any particular moment of the launch process & # 39; spacecraft and propulsion to distant target in our solar system carries risks. But the descent & # 39; Insight will be distressing nail especially nerve to NASA: the control of the Mission have no idea x & # 39; is happening on the spacecraft in & # 39 real-time, because of long delays signal & # 39; transmission of the craft.

During the critical minutes after Insight violates the atmosphere & # 39; Mars, the probe is raised to the surface of the planet, the news about the progress of & # 39; landing have not yet reached the World. For six minutes long, the NASA engineers will wait tensament that reports on the status & # 39; Insight cope, leaving the team could not confirm whether Insight landed safely or if something unexpected gone wrong. It & # 39; the latter can & # 39; leaving the master "dead" on the Martian surface.[[[[5 Myths & # 39; Mars and Misconceptions]

There are three stages knowledge (Short for Interior Exploration using & # 39; Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) will pass it as approaching the site & # 39; landing: a trip working with a rocket from the atmosphere & # 39; on & # 39; Mars; the parachute descent having shed the protective heat shield of & # 39; artery; and motor leak to the ground, failed with 12 engine firing, according to NASA. First, the "cruise stage" will separate and capsule re & # 39; is positioned so that the heat shield facing the atmosphere where the tire heats more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius), Rob Manning, systems engineer at the Laboratory & # 39; NASA's Jet Propulsion (JPL), said video.

Once Insight gets about 10 miles (16 kilometers) & # 39; above the surface, opened parachute, the heat shield is opened, and three landing legs extend and lock in & # 39; breath , ready to absorb some of the impact of landing. When Lander has about 1 mile (2 km) to go, it will separate from the bark of & # 39; later – the structure that holds the parachute – and fire-fighting engines slowed his fall, Manning said.

Finally, the engine battery & # 39; Insight will have stalling the second landing return.

"If they do not, the vehicle will be closed", Manning said in the video.

The drama will start in & # 39; about 3 p.m. ET, when the space is expected to reach the atmosphere & # 39; Mars, traveling in & # 39; about 12,300 mph (5.5 km / h), according to NASA.

The terrifying descent of curiosity

The last brush & # 39; & # 39 by NASA; act & # 39; blind landing in & # 39; Mars was the fame & # 39; Curiosity "7Minutes & # 39; Terror"- 1 minute descent that lasted longer than the will of the Insight lighter – on 6 & # 39; August 2012. Pictures trapped inside the room NASA JPL mission control – shared with & # 39; YouTube that day – showed that the team members were trasfissati because data from Curiosity finally revealed the fate of Rover, moment to moment.

In the video, the action share feedback control mission for updates and results animated simulation a & # 39; landing & # 39; Curiosity, created several months.

The applause erupted & # 39; as the team learned that the parachute & # 39; Curiosity was deployed, and there were high when protection Fives heat separated and dropped. People in the notice pleased "We motorized flight", and f & # 39; 'touchdowns confirmated! " The room erupted in wild applause, jubilant screaming, hugs and more than a few tears.

Reaching to Mars evasion is a reward for space agencies around the world; Only 40 percent of all missions to Mars have been successful, and U.S. is the only nation whose descent into & # 39; still alive, given the Nasa.

Many of the design & # 39; Insight, including the form of & # 39; three feet, originated with NASA & # 39; s Space Vehicle Phoenix, Which came in & # 39; Mars 25 & # 39; May 2008. But the heat protection & # 39; Insight is thicker and the suspension of its parachute is more b & # 39; robust than its predecessor. As Insight will come during the autumn in the Northern Hemisphere & # 39; Mars, this ship can & # 39; faces severe storms of dust, the promotions for heat shield and parachute to help Insight weather, according to NASA.

But all these precautions will be enough to safeguard the imminent landing & # 39; Insight? Only time – 6 minutes, to be exact – will tell.

Tune in to see the dramatic landing & # 39; Insight! The live coverage begins at & # 39; 1 p.m. ET, check out our sister site, Space.com, for clues on how to see.

originally published on Live science.