UPDATE: Live launch coverage of the InSight Mars lander begins at 3:30 am PDT Saturday

It was claimed that this launch is coming out of the blue and nothing was known about this mission before. I post proof that it's been known for years now. You claim that's a load of BS. Ok, prove it. How have I been "fooled" into thinking I knew about this mission years ago?

It's easier to fake footage of mars than it is the moon these days.

5 stars and green!

Strange place to launch for this type of mission. Sounds political. End up using more fuel to launch an interplanetary mission from California.

The Atlas V 401 has more than enough fuel to get the job done. Cape Canveral is a much busier launch site, especially with SpaceX launching at pads adjacent to the Atlas launch pad all the time. In fact SpaceX had a launch originally scheduled for the May 4th now pushed to May 7th, right around when InSight will be launching. That's why they elected to use Vandenberg, the launch schedule there is much more sparse. The reason the Atlas V has so much excess delta-V for this mission is that the InSight lander is directly derived from the older Phoenix mission, which designed to launch on the smaller and less capable Delta II rocket ( [link to en.wikipedia.org (secure)] ). Since InSight is only slightly heavier than Phoenix, even an Atlas V in the 401 configuration is over-powered for the task.

Why not use the Falcon Heavy?

What is the specific impulse of the Atlas V vs the Falcon Heavy?

now thats an ivititation to be butt fucked 5.0..
you finally got your wish..

if we believe the greenlander crap?

Because that would be insane levels of overkill for a payload of this mass. Elon Musk's roadster was almost twice the mass of this lander.

GOOD LUCK ON THAT ASTRO RETARD..


YOU'RE BRAINDEAD AND DRINK TOO MUCH GOVT KOOLAID

Oh yes, so brain dead I perfectly tracked the Falcon Heavy and independently verified its orbit in deep space.

The funny bit is that most of you guys question everything but for some reason stop at NASA. Hilarious that you believe their bs.

HEY ASTROBUTT , YOU'RE GULLIBLE, YOU NEED TO WAKE UP

Yeah,maybe they'll swing around and gives us a beautiful PICTURE of the earth! Ya think!!!????

Nothing. will. be. landing. on. mars.

Unlike you, I actually put claims to the test and see if they hold up under scrutiny. Unlike you, I actually follow the evidence. And I'm going to ram that evidence down your throat if I track this probe in deep space.

He can't even get his car company off the ground with an endless stream of tax payer cash. Investigation needed where did all the money go. SpaceX needs to be investigated by the FEDS too.

Why? Because their awesome reusable rockets cause you severe levels of butthurt?

nasa has never even left the thermosphere

Could you suck his dick any harder, geez

deplorable recollector is a flat earth tard. Astro has more knowledge in his toenail clippings.

Larping freemasonic twats pretend to go to Mars, fake launch into the sea from California this weekend.

Anybody who still believes in space is beyond help at this point.

Where did you learnt it? on GLP?

Mars can not be landed upon and there's no Mandela effect. You have been lied to. Now return home and take a playful watch and wait attitude that one day you'll stop being brainwashed by fake scientists and internet fags and actually do your own thinking. It's possible but doubtful for most of you lemmings.

I wish the spacemen a safe journey and return to earth.

So if I track it and photograph it myself, what will your excuse be?

MARS ROCKET MAY PRODUCE NOCTILUCENT EXHAUST: NASA is about to do something it has never done before. On Saturday morning, May 5th, sometime between 4:05 a.m. and 6:05 am PDT, the space agency will attempt to launch a rocket to Mars from the west coast of the USA. Liftoff of the Atlas 5 carrying the InSight Mars lander will create a plume widely visible around Southern California. This movie shows where to look:

Residents from as far north as Bakersfield to perhaps as far south as Rosarito, Mexico, may see the Atlas rocket rising in the predawn sky and then heading south, parallel to the coastline.

That's not all. The Atlas 5 might also create a display of man-made noctilucent clouds, which sometimes appear after early-morning rocket launches. Tiny ice crystals in a rocket's exhaust can catch the rays of the distant rising sun, producing luminous forms in the dark pre-dawn sky. These forms can have striking iridescent colors, although they are typically electric-blue. Sample photos may be found here, here and here. Noctilucent clouds from previous launches at Vandenberg have been seen as far away as Arizona.

If NASA does not launch the rocket on May 5th because of weather or other problems, they could try again the next day. Launch windows are available from May 5th through June 8th. Stay tuned for updates.

Last Edited by 5.0% on 05/05/2018 12:01 AM

[link to www.nasa.gov (secure)]