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For this mission, InSight will use three main instruments:First — a six-sensor seismometer called the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) to record seismic waves. This will help scientists investigate what they think could be marsquakes or even meteorites hitting the surface.Second — a Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3). This instrument will burrow deeper than we’ve ever gone before to measure the amount of heat coming out of the planet. This instrument will help scientists to see how similar Earth and Mars are on the inside.Third — the Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment (RISE) uses radios on InSight to measure how much Mars’ rotation axis wobbles. This will clue scientists into information about the Red Planet’s core.For the mission to go smoothly, the location has to accommodate the tasks of InSight’s instruments. But the site must also ensure a safe landing for the craft itself. “The site has to be a low-enough elevation to have sufficient atmosphere above it for a safe landing, because the spacecraft will rely first on atmospheric friction with its heat shield and then on a parachute digging into Mars’ tenuous atmosphere for a large portion of its deceleration. And after the chute has fallen away and the braking rockets have kicked in for final descent, there needs to be a flat expanse to land on – not too undulating and relatively free of rocks that could tip the tri-legged Mars lander,” Hoffman said.This article originally appeared on discovermagazine.com