Mars: Insight landing on Nov.26, ESA ExoMars landing site selected, + Pits and Caves

NASA’s Insight lander is set to settled down on the Mars surface on November 26th. Emily Lakdawalla gives a preview of the event from : What to Expect When InSight Lands on Mars | The Planetary Society

InSight’s will be a throwback landing, simpler than Curiosity’s and identical to Phoenix’s. It will employ heat shield, parachute, and landing rockets, but no fancy entry guidance or Skycrane maneuver. Even if it’s simpler, it’s still terrifying, a period during which decades of work comes down to minutes of automated maneuvers that’ll transform a space-faring flying saucer into a sessile lander.

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The European Space Agency recently announced the decision on where the ExoMars rover will land in 2021:

ExoMars is to land at Oxia Planum.

Bob Zimmerman explains the reasons for the site selection: The ExoMars 2020 landing site | Behind The Black

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Bob also discusses pits and lava tube caves on the Red Planet: More Pits on Mars! | Behind The Black

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