--- title: "NASA’s InSight Mars Lander Landed in a “Large Sandbox” at a Slight Angle" description: "The InSight team at JPL have discovered that the spacecraft landed at a four degree angle in a large, sand-filled impact crater." date: "2018-12-01" modified: "2018-12-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/nasa-insight-mars-lander-large-sandbox-slight-angle" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "insight" - "insight mars lander" - "JPL" - "nasa insight" --- # NASA’s InSight Mars Lander Landed in a “Large Sandbox” at a Slight Angle ![The InSight team at JPL have discovered that the spacecraft landed at a four degree angle in a large, sand-filled impact crater.]() *\Image: NASA/JPL\* ## Awkward Landing NASA's Insight Lander [survived the harrowing journey]() through outer space, and has settled nicely on the Martian surface. And while it's [charging its batteries](), new details are emerging about where exactly InSight landed. The InSight team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California [determined]() the spacecraft is actually sitting at a slightly tilted angle — roughly four degrees. While that may sound like it could be an issue down the road, scientists at NASA have thought ahead: InSight could actually operate normally with an inclination of up to 15 degrees, according to an [update on NASA's website](). Land at the wrong angle, and collecting solar energy could prove more difficult. It could've also jeopardized InSight's mission to probe the Martian surface to read the planet's temperature, and detecting ground motion using its seismometer. ## "A Large Sandbox" There's a lot of shallow dust and sand surrounding InSight's impact crater — and that might actually turn out to be an advantage. "There are no landing pads or runways on Mars, so coming down in an area that is basically a large sandbox without any large rocks should make instrument deployment easier and provide a great place for our mole to start burrowing," Tom Hoffman, InSight project manager at JPL, [tells]() NASA. ## Postcards From Mars In a couple of days, InSight will (hopefully) be sending us some high-definition pictures of its surroundings. And those will give the team back on Earth a much better idea as to where to place InSight's instruments for some scientific experiments within the next couple of months. Otherwise, InSight is doing just fine. In fact, it just broke the "off-world record" for generating the most electrical power than any other previous lander on Mars — almost twice as much as Curiosity. And that means all systems go. "The 4,588 watt-hours we produced during sol 1 means we currently have more than enough juice to perform these tasks and move forward with our science mission," says Hoffman. **READ MORE:** [Mars New Home 'a Large Sandbox']() \[NASA\] ***More on InSight: [NASA's InSight Mars Lander Fires up Solar Cells and Sends Selfie]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()