InSight to Probe Martian Innards

摘要

In 2016, NASA will launch a mission to probe the crust, mantle, and core of Mars, seeking to understand how the planet evolved from a nascent ball of magma. InSight (Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport) is based on the designs that delivered the Phoenix lander to Mars, reducing cost and risk. That likely appealed to NASA managers, who picked InSight over proposed missions to land on a lake on Titan or an active comet.