Witness First Mars Launch from West Coast

Are you a digital creator, citizen journalist or active on social media? Do you have an idea for a unique way to share the story of the West Coast's first interplanetary rocket launch? Apply now to attend launch activities for NASA's InSight mission, May 3-5, at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, California.

InSight's launch begins a six-month journey to Mars, where the lander will deploy the first seismometer to the surface of another planet. By measuring marsquakes, InSight will map the deep interior of Mars to help us better understand how rocky planets, including Earth, are formed.

NASA will grant up to 75 NASA Social credentials, which give access similar to news media. Participants will go behind the scenes, meet mission personnel and share their experiences online.

NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:

• Witness the first interplanetary launch from the West Coast of the United States
• Speak with InSight mission scientists and engineers
• Participate in a special televised pre-launch briefing
• View and take photographs of the Atlas V-401 rocket on the launch pad
• Tour facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base
• Interact with NASA social media managers and fellow space enthusiasts

NASA' s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The InSight spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission.

Social media accreditation for the InSight Launch NASA Social is open on this page. The deadline to apply is 8:59 p.m. PDT (11:59 p.m. EDT) on March 19. All social media accreditation applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For more information on InSight, visit:

https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/

Interact with the InSight mission on social media via:

https://twitter.com/NASAInSight

https://facebook.com/NASAInSight

News Media Contact

Stephanie L. Smith

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

818-393-5463

slsmith@jpl.nasa.gov

Jason Townsend

NASA Headquarters, Washington

202-358-0359

jason.c.townsend@nasa.gov

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