Here's What Mars Looks Like Now to a Tiny Cubesat Chasing NASA's InSight Lander

[Judi Lynn]

By Tariq Malik, Space.com Managing Editor | November 25, 2018 06:49pm ET

PASADENA, Calif. — A tiny cubesat cruising through interplanetary space has captured a new glimpse of Mars, just before watching NASA's InSight lander touch down the Red Planet.

The cubesat, one of two Mars Cube One probes (called MarCO for short) snapped the Mars photo on Saturday (Nov. 24). That's two days before the InSight probe is due to land on the plains of Elysium Planitia Monday (Nov. 26) to study the interior of Mars.

"We are taking more pictures," MarCo-A mission manager Cody Colley told reporters in a press conference Sunday (Nov. 26). "The MarCOs use a very off-the-shelf camera, and we're learning as we go as we take those pictures." [NASA's InSight Mars Lander: Full Coverage]

This photo was taken by the MarCO-B cubesat, showing Mars from a distance of about 310,000 miles (500,000 kilometers), according to a NASA image description.

More:
https://www.space.com/42530-mars-cubesat-photo-insight-mars-landing.html

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. awesome

so when do I turn on NASA tv?

[liberal N proud]

2. Around 3:00 pm est

[nocoincidences]

3. You can also watch it online.