14 DAY TRIAL // This July 29, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is to execute a series of commands that will shift its position in orbit ever so slightly.
Thus, the probe will fire 6 rocket engines a total of 77 seconds and adjust its orbit so that, when the space agency's InSight lander arrives at Mars, it will be perfectly positioned to welcome it to the Red Planet.
The InSight lander is set to launch in Mars 2016. Mission scientists at NASA expect it will reach its target planet and land on its surface the same year, on September 28.
With its orbit adjusted, the space agency's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be able to pick up on radio transmissions signaling InSight's descend through the Martian atmosphere and its successful landing.
“Without making this orbit change maneuver, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter would be unable to hear from InSight during the landing, but this will put us in the right place at the right time,” explains researcher Dan Johnston.
Once on the surface of Mars, NASA's InSight lander will get to work collecting clues about what Mars looks like on the inside.
Scientists expect data delivered by the robotic explorer will help them better understand the formation and evolution of rocky planets such as Mars and our Earth.
