InSight Launch Options

[nprev]

Hey, all. InSight is currently scheduled to launch on 5 May/1100 GMT. This thread is for discussion of that event, and this new subform is for all new mission-related topics.

GO INSIGHT!!!

[nprev]

I'm trying to remember the Phoenix EDL details, and IIRC it was pretty much just tones, and of course InSight is using the same bus. As you pointed out, however, those cubesats this time should relay much more detailed information so hopefully we might have a data-rich descent similar in some ways to that of Curiosity.

Icing on the cake would be if MRO can image the descent chute on the way down as it did with Phoenix and Curiosity.

[kwan3217]

I'm trying to remember the Phoenix EDL details, and IIRC it was pretty much just tones, and of course InSight is using the same bus. As you pointed out, however, those cubesats this time should relay much more detailed information so hopefully we might have a data-rich descent similar in some ways to that of Curiosity.

Icing on the cake would be if MRO can image the descent chute on the way down as it did with Phoenix and Curiosity.

For Phoenix, Mars Odyssey was in position to do a "bent-pipe" relay in near-real-time. It was packet telemetry, not just tones, at something like 8kbit/s. One of the other orbiters (must have been MRO) was also recording everything in "canister" mode, which is more raw and better for forensics if they had a problem on landing. Phoenix also broadcasted tones direct to Earth.