It has been two weeks since InSight successfully landed on Mars and already it has kept us here on Earth captivated with the things that it’s doing on the planet. The
Now, InSight has sent what is possibly its most interesting image yet — a picture of itself (a selfie, if you will) on Mars.
This, however, isn’t your typical selfie. The picture is a mosaic of 11 images taken from the camera attached on the lander’s arm. By stitching the images together, we get our first look of the lander and how it looks like on the Martian surface. The picture also shows the large solar arrays and the many scientific instruments and sensors carried by the robot.
Apart from its selfie, InSight has also been capturing photos of its “workplace”, sending back 52 separate images of the 14-by-7 foot area of terrain right in front of the lander. The resulting photo shows an almost barren land, virtually devoid of rocks and any distinctive features. This is good because it makes for the perfect spot to lay down InSight’s instruments. The robot can then start digging into the ground to begin its actual mission — exploring the inner workings of the red planet.
