Powered by United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V rocket, which is made in Alabama, a NASA InSight spacecraft on Monday landed on Mars.
This is the latest show of America’s space might, as Monday marked the eighth perfect Mars landing by NASA while no other country has yet been successful in doing so. It is NASA’s first landing on Mars since the space agency’s Curiosity rover in 2012.
Assembled in the company’s Decatur facility, ULA’s Atlas V rocket launched the InSight lander in May. The rocket type has been the workhorse of NASA’s long-range launches for years.
In a tweet, Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) celebrated the latest achievement and Alabama’s invaluable contribution to the nation’s space program.
Congratulations to @ULAlaunch and the entire @NASAInSight team for another flawless launch and #MarsLanding. That’s 18 missions to Mars on Atlas, Delta, and heritage rockets. If it’s going to Mars, it’s going on a rocket made right here in Alabama! #MadeinAL
— Richard Shelby (@SenShelby) November 26, 2018
Stratfor explained, “Over the next two years, the InSight lander will study Mars’ crust, mantle and core by measuring seismic activity as scientists strive to uncover clues and research the creation of the solar system’s rocky inner planets.”
.@NASAInSight successfully lands on Mars! The crowd here at @RocketCenterUSA went wild when the confirmation of touch down was confirmed. pic.twitter.com/cJI6eFwI95
— NASA Marshall (@NASA_Marshall) November 26, 2018
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
