Preparation and Execution of the InSight Instrument Deployment Phase

Abstract

The NASA InSight lander arrived at Mars on November 26, 2018 on a unique science mission to study the interior of the red planet. InSight's instrument suite is investigating the geophysical characteristics of Mars, providing a glimpse into the formation and evolution of the planet and other similar Earth-like terrestrial bodies. Upon landing, the mission entered the Instrument Deployment Phase (IDP) to survey, deploy, and install the SEIS, WTS, and HP3 elements onto the Martian surface. InSight is the first mission to robotically deploy and release payloads on another planet. The IDP spanned 52 tactical shifts over 87 sols as the team worked through unique challenges to characterize the workspace, prepare the robotic arm, deploy the payloads, and commission the instruments. This paper discusses the pre-landing and on-surface work that led to the deployment of the three surface elements and shares selected challenges and lessons learned. InSight has now entered the heat probe penetration and science monitoring phase for the remainder of its one Martian year (26 Earth month) prime mission.