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Selection of the InSight Landing Site

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Abstract

The selection of the Discovery Program InSight landing site took over four years from initial identification of possible areas that met engineering constraints, to downselection via targeted data from orbiters (especially Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Context Camera (CTX) and High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images), to selection and certification via sophisticated entry, descent and landing (EDL) simulations. Constraints on elevation (\({\leq}{-}2.5\ \mbox{km}\) for sufficient atmosphere to slow the lander), latitude (initially 15°S–5°N and later 3°N–5°N for solar power and thermal management of the spacecraft), ellipse size (130 km by 27 km from ballistic entry and descent), and a load bearing surface without thick deposits of dust, severely limited acceptable areas to western Elysium Planitia. Within this area, 16 prospective ellipses were identified, which lie ∼600 km north of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover. Mapping of terrains in rapidly acquired CTX images identified especially benign smooth terrain and led to the downselection to four northern ellipses. Acquisition of nearly continuous HiRISE, additional Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), and High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) images, along with radar data confirmed that ellipse E9 met all landing site constraints: with slopes <15° at 84 m and 2 m length scales for radar tracking and touchdown stability, low rock abundance (<10 %) to avoid impact and spacecraft tip over, instrument deployment constraints, which included identical slope and rock abundance constraints, a radar reflective and load bearing surface, and a fragmented regolith ∼5 m thick for full penetration of the heat flow probe. Unlike other Mars landers, science objectives did not directly influence landing site selection.

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Acknowledgements

Research described in this paper was partially done by the InSight Project, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Production of derived data products and support for the Council of Atmospheres and the Council of Terrains was provided by the InSight Project. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) supported the production of HRSC mosaics. We thank S. Kannan, L. Maki, K. Smyth, D. Hernandez, V. Carranza, E. Bondi, R. Domholdt, A. Davis, M. Wray, S. Melady, W. Painter, C. Hundal, and M. Bouchard for help processing data and maps. We also thank B. Knapmeyer-Endrun, V. Ansan Mangold, K. Herkenhoff and C. Dundas for comments on an earlier draft. M. Grott provided helpful discussions on the interaction of the mole with subsurface rocks. This paper is InSight Contribution Number 17.

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Author notes

  1. N. E. Putzig & I. B. Smith

    Present address: Planetary Science Institute, Lakewood, CO, 80401, USA

  2. C. Bloom

    Present address: Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA, 98926, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA

    M. Golombek, D. Kipp, N. Warner, I. J. Daubar, A. Huertas, S. Piqueux, F. Calef, D. Kass, M. Mischna, J. Ashley, C. Bloom, N. Wigton, C. Schwartz, H. Gengl, L. Redmond, M. Trautman, E. Sklyanskiy, M. Lisano, J. Benardini, S. Smrekar & W. B. Banerdt

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, State University of New York at Geneseo, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, NY, 14454, USA

    N. Warner & J. Sweeney

  3. Astrogeology Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 2255 N. Gemini Dr., Flagstaff, AZ, 86001, USA

    R. Fergason, R. L. Kirk & T. Hare

  4. Sagan Center at the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA

    R. Beyer

  5. Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, 80302, USA

    N. E. Putzig & I. B. Smith

  6. NASM CEPS, Smithsonian Institution, 6th at Independence SW, Washington, DC, 20560, USA

    B. A. Campbell & G. A. Morgan

  7. Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College, South Kensington Campus, London, UK

    C. Charalambous & W. T. Pike

  8. German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    K. Gwinner

  9. Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    C. Bloom

  10. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    N. Wigton

  11. Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    L. Redmond & C. Grima

  12. MS GIS Program, University of Redlands, 1200 E. Colton Ave., Redlands, CA, 92373-0999, USA

    M. Trautman

  13. Institut Physique du Globe de Paris, Université Paris Sorbonne, Diderot, Paris, France

    P. Lognonné

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  1. M. Golombek
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Correspondence to M. Golombek.

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Golombek, M., Kipp, D., Warner, N. et al. Selection of the InSight Landing Site. Space Sci Rev 211, 5–95 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-016-0321-9

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