--- title: "NASA’s InSight Mars Lander Fires up Solar Cells and Sends Selfie" description: "NASA and JPL have announced that the InSight lander is officially collecting solar power on the Martian surface — completing yet another critical step." date: "2018-11-27" modified: "2018-11-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/nasas-insight-mars-lander-collecting-solar-power" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Energy" - "Mars" - "NASA" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" - "Solar Power" - "Space" tags: - "insight" - "insight mars lander" - "JPL" - "NASA" --- # NASA’s InSight Mars Lander Fires up Solar Cells and Sends Selfie ![NASA and JPL have announced its InSight lander is officially collecting solar power on the Martian surface — completing yet another critical step.]() *\Image: NASA/JPL\* ## No Time to Rest The InSight Mars lander really deserved some vacation time. After a strenuous seven months of gliding through outer space, the lander had to survive what [NASA described as]() "seven minutes of terror" — lighting up like a meteorite as it entered the Martian atmosphere at 12,300 mph (19,800 km/h). ## Catching Some Rays Now, InSight is basking in the Martian sun. Around 8:30pm EST yesterday, InSight unfurled its solar panels to collect some much needed energy and recharge its batteries, according to an [official update]() from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at NASA. And it will need quite a bit of energy: on a clear day, two 7 feet wide (2.2 meters) solar panels will provide 600 to 700 watts of power — enough electricity to [run a household blender]() — for InSight's actuators and instruments. "It's been a long day for the team," said JPL mission lead Tom Hoffman. "But tomorrow begins an exciting new chapter for InSight: surface operations and the beginning of the instrument deployment phase." ## What's Next What's next for InSight? First, it [sent home a selfie]() taken with one of its cameras. Next, its robotic arm will extend, and will snap some pictures of the surrounding ground using a camera attached to the end of the arm. The InSight team back on Earth will be looking for suitable ground to deploy InSight's scientific instruments. But it will still take "two to three months" according to JPL until those instruments are actually ready to send data back to Earth. So for now, InSight, enjoy some sunlight. You've earned it. READ MORE: [InSight is catching rays on Mars]() \[Phys.org\] More on the InSight lander: [Breaking: NASA’s InSight Lander Just Landed on Mars]() ## 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]()