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Robotic Geologist Bound For Mars

Artist's Concept of InSight Lander on Mars. Photo: NASA
Artist's Concept of InSight Lander on Mars. Photo: NASA

NASA is poised to launch a robotic geologist to Mars this weekend.

When the InSight lander arrives at Mars, it will dig deeper than ever before to take the planet's temperature.

The spacecraft launching this weekend from Vandenberg Airforce Base in California will also take the planet's pulse by making the first measurements of "marsquakes."

The launch comes after a two-year delay – a technical issue prevented the spacecraft from launching to the red planet back in 2016 – the last time Earth and Mars were aligned.

The spacecraft is hitching a ride on an Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance. The two hour launch window opens Saturday morning at 4:05 a.m. PT / 7:05 a.m. ET.

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Brendan Byrne is WMFE's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the WMFE newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing WMFE's internship program.

Byrne also hosts WMFE's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.