18 ASTRONOMY • OCTOBER 2019

Although dozens of spacecraft

have explored Mars’ surface, InSight is

the first to target the planet’s interior. BY JIM BELL

DIGGING DEEP

InSight took this selfie December 6, 2018, with its

Instrument Deployment Camera. The probe’s two

solar panels dominate the scene, with the deck and

its science instruments, weather sensor booms,

and UHF antenna between them. The camera,

which resides on the elbow of the spacecraft’s

robotic arm, took 11 images that scientists on

Earth stitched together to create this mosaic.

ALL PHOTOS BY NASA/JPL-CALTECH UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED