How NASA Will Know When InSight Touches Down
(WorldNews Environment)

What`s the sound of a touchdown on Mars? If you`re at NASA`s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, it sounds like winning the Super Bowl: cheers, laughter and lots of hollering. But in the minutes before that, NASA`s InSight team will be monitoring the Mars lander`s radio signals using a variety of spacecraft - and even radio telescopes here on Earth - to suss out what`s happening 91 million miles (146 million km) away. Because these signals are captured by several spacecraft, they`re relayed to Earth in different ways and at different times. That means the mission team may know right away when InSight touches down, or they may have to wait up to several hours. Here`s how NASA will be listening for the...