Outer space

‘More than a Mars mission’ – NASA begins testing InSight lander for 2016 trip

NASA says it’s begun testing the stationary lander spacecraft it plans to send to Mars in 10 months to help scientists understand Earth’s red neighbor and hopefully learn more about rock-based planets. The space agency said on Wednesday this week that testing is underway on the Lockheed Martin-made lander it calls InSight—an abbreviation for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport.