Connect with us

News

NASA to livestream first Mars landing in six years on November 26 with InSight lander

Published

on

On Monday, November 26, 2018, a Mars lander will arrive on the surface of the red planet for the first time in six years, and NASA will broadcast the event live on their TV channel and website. The craft’s name is “InSight”, and it’s scheduled to complete its journey begun May 5, 2018 on an Atlas V rocket by setting down onto Martian regolith at approximately 3 pm EST. A video stream of Mission Control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California will be available where viewers can listen to live landing commentary. InSight’s descent itself will not have a video component; however, photographs of the craft while parachuting and shortly after landing may be transmitted.

InSight’s name is short for “Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport”, and as the name implies, its mission is to collect seismographic data from the surface of Mars in order to gather information about the planet’s core. The lander has six instruments on board that will propogate seismic waves through Mars’s interior after hammering a probe about 10-16 feet into the ground, a process which will take about 2-3 months to complete. The vibrations measured at the surface will then be measured and interpreted to reveal details about its layers and, by extension, the early formation of both it and Earth.

Advertisement

Unlike a rocket launch where delays are always possible, you can safely mark your calendar for this event. NASA can’t change this date even if they wanted to thanks to the physics involved in the lander’s interplanetary flight. If you’re interested in celebrating InSight’s Martian arrival in a community setting, watch parties open to the public are planned at scientific facilities and libraries around the world.

InSight in a clean room at Vandenberg AFB in California. | Credit: Pauline Acalin

Viewers of the live streamed landing will hear updates from scientists as they track InSight’s journey from a fiery entry speed of 12,300 mph to a 5 mph landing speed. Drag against the craft’s heat shield, parachutes, and retrorockets will slow its descent. The mission’s scientists hope to receive an image of the Martian surface shortly after, but they’ve cautioned that the initial photos will likely be cloudy due to dust kicked up from the event.

InSight will land in Mars’s Elysium Planitia (“the biggest parking lot on Mars”), an area near the planet’s equator. Its closest Earth-sent neighbor, the Curiosity rover, will be 240 miles away, and twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity will be located 1,600 and 5,200 miles away, respectively. Once on the surface, InSight’s first steps will be to unpack and deploy its solar panels to ensure power for the rest of its instruments.

The solar panels will provide about 600-700 watts on a clear Martian day, 200-300 during dustier conditions. For more perspective on this power source, NASA’s press release likened its maximum wattage to the requirements of a household blender (500 watts). The amount of energy converted just falls short of running a coffee machine (1000 watts), but plenty to “wake up” the lander after sleep, even if not a human.

Inside this Atlas V’s fairing, InSight and its twin Mars Cube One companions await launch. | Credit: Pauline Acalin

As a bonus for space fans, InSight did not set out on its interplanetary mission alone. Twin demonstration mini satellites named “Mars Cube One” (MarCO) launched with the lander and traveled separately to the planet. Along with having completed successful radio, antennae, steering, and propulsion tests during their journey, MarCo will test a new kind of data relay from Mars orbit during InSight’s descent to the surface. InSight will not depend on successful transmissions to and from MarCo to land.

MarCO also marks the first deep space mission for a type of tiny satellite called “CubeSats”, a class characterized by a small form factor and miniaturized technologies that are often commercial, off-the-shelf components. MarCO fits this category and each satellite is about the size of a briefcase. The significantly lower development and launch costs of CubeSats compared to larger satellites have already opened space science to students and limited budget commercial initiatives. The success of MarCO in the deep space environment will now potentially open up interplanetary exploration beyond government agencies to encompass more civilian initiatives.

Advertisement

Watch NASA’s video below to learn more about the lander:

Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

Advertisement
Comments

Cybertruck

Tesla Cybertruck gets long-awaited safety feature

Tesla has announced the rollout of its innovative anti-dooring protection feature to the Cybertruck via the 2026.8 software update.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Asia | X

Tesla is rolling out a new and long-awaited feature to the Cybertruck all-electric pickup, and it is a safety addition geared toward pedestrian and cyclist safety, as well as accidents with other vehicles.

Tesla has announced the rollout of its innovative anti-dooring protection feature to the Cybertruck via the 2026.8 software update.

This safety enhancement uses the vehicle’s existing cameras to detect approaching cyclists, pedestrians, or vehicles in the blind spot while parked. Upon attempting to open a door, if a hazard is detected, the system activates: the blind spot indicator light flashes, an audible chime sounds, and the door will not open on the initial button press.

Drivers must wait briefly and press the button again to override, providing crucial seconds to avoid an accident.

Advertisement

The feature, also known as Blind Spot Warning While Parked, comes standard on every new Model 3 and Model Y, and is now extending to the Cybertruck. Leveraging Tesla’s vision-based system without requiring new hardware, it represents a cost-effective software solution that builds on community suggestions dating back to 2018.

Advertisement

This technology addresses the persistent danger of “dooring,” where a driver opens a car door into the path of a passing cyclist or pedestrian.

Tesla implemented this little-known feature to make its cars even safer

Dooring incidents are alarmingly common in urban environments.

According to Chicago data, in 2011 alone, there were 344 reported dooring crashes, accounting for approximately 20 percent of all bicycle crashes in the city, nearly one incident per day.

Advertisement

While numbers have fluctuated (dropping to 11 percent in 2014 before rising again), dooring consistently represents 10-20 percent of bike-related crashes in major cities.

A national analysis of emergency department data estimates over 17,000 dooring-related injuries treated in the U.S. over a decade, with many involving fractures, contusions, and head trauma, particularly affecting upper extremities.

By automatically intervening, Tesla’s system not only protects vulnerable road users but also safeguards its owners from potential liability and enhances overall road safety.

As cities promote cycling for sustainable transport, features like this demonstrate how advanced driver assistance and camera systems can evolve beyond highway driving to everyday urban scenarios.

Advertisement

Enthusiastic responses on social media highlight appreciation for the proactive safety measure, with some calling for broader rollout to older models where hardware permits. Tesla continues to push the boundaries of vehicle safety through over-the-air updates, making its fleet smarter and safer over time.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla Roadster is ‘sorcery and magic’ and might be worth the wait, Uber founder says

Perhaps the wait will be worth it, especially according to Uber founder Travis Kalanick, who recently teased the Roadster’s potential capabilities based on what he has heard from internal Tesla sources.

Published

on

tesla roadster
Credit: Praveen Joseph/Twitter

Tesla is planning to unveil the Roadster in late April after years of waiting. But the wait might be worth it, according to Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber, who recently shed some light on his expectations for the all-electric supercar.

We all know the Roadster is supposed to have some serious capability. CEO Elon Musk has said on numerous occasions that the Roadster will be unlike anything else ever produced. It might go from 0-60 MPH in about a second, it might hover, it might have SpaceX cold gas thrusters.

However, the constant delays in the Roadster program and its unveiling event continue to send Tesla fans into confusion because they’re just not sure when, or if, they’ll ever see the finished product.

Perhaps the wait will be worth it, especially according to Uber founder Travis Kalanick, who recently teased the Roadster’s potential capabilities based on what he has heard from internal Tesla sources.

Advertisement

Kalanick said on X:

Musk has said this vehicle is not going to be geared for safety, and that, “If safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster.”

Advertisement

There has been so much hype regarding the Roadster that it is hard to believe the company could not come through on some kind of crazy features for the vehicle.

Elon Musk just dropped a huge detail on the Tesla Roadster

However, the latest delay that Tesla put on the unveiling event is definitely eye-opening, especially considering it is the latest in a series of pushbacks the company has put on the vehicle for the past several years.

Tesla has made several jumps in the Roadster project over the past few months, as it has ramped up hiring for the vehicle and also applied for a patent for a new seat design.

Advertisement

The car has been a back-burner project for Tesla, as it has been focusing primarily on autonomy and the rollout of Robotaxi and Cybercab. Additionally, its other vehicle projects, like the Model 3 and Model Y refreshes, took precedence.

Tesla still plans to unveil the Roadster next month, so we can hope the company can stick to this timeframe.

Continue Reading

Cybertruck

Elon Musk clarifies viral Tesla Cybertruck accident with driver logs

Musk has come out to say that the driver logs have already shown that the driver “disengaged Autopilot four seconds before crashing,” in a post on X.

Published

on

Credit: Fox Business | Hilliard Law Firm

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has clarified some details regarding the viral Tesla Cybertruck accident with company driver logs, which show various metrics at the time of an incident.

The logs have been used in the past to pull responsibility off of Tesla when the automaker’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) or Autopilot platforms are blamed for a collision or accident. It appears this will be no different.

On Tuesday, a video of a Cybertruck crashing into an overpass barrier in August 2025 was shared by Fox Business in a story that reported a woman was suing the automaker for $1 million in a liability and negligence case.

In the suit, Justine Saint Amour said that, “Something terrifying happened, without warning, the vehicle attempted to drive straight off an overpass.” Her attorney, Bob Hilliard, said Amour “tried to take control, but crashed into the barrier and was seriously injured (mostly her shoulder, neck, and back).”

Advertisement

The Tesla Model Y is leading China’s electric SUV segment by a wide margin

Tesla vehicle crashes are widely popular to report by mainstream media outlets because of the sensationalism of the event. Oftentimes, these outlets will include Tesla in the headline, especially because it will pique the interest of the masses, as most who read the story are waiting to see the claim that Autopilot or Full Self-Driving was the culprit of the accident.

However, Tesla has access to the logs of every vehicle in its fleet, which will show the various metrics, like whether either FSD or Autopilot was active, if the accelerator was pressed, the speed, and other important factors.

Musk has come out to say that the driver logs have already shown that the driver “disengaged Autopilot four seconds before crashing,” in a post on X.

Advertisement

If the logs do show this, which Tesla will likely have to prove in court, the real question would be why did the Amour disengage the suite?

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite is still not fully autonomous, meaning the driver cannot pull attention away from the road and must be ready to take over the vehicle at all times.

Advertisement

It will be interesting to see how this particular case pans out, especially considering the clip that was released by the law firm starts at about four seconds before the collision. Tesla logs have dispelled media reports in the past that have accused the company’s suite of being responsible for an accident, so there will be some major attention on what is proven in this particular case.

Continue Reading