The HP3 experiment
The HP3 experiment
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) contributed the HP 3 experiment for NASA's InSight mission. HP 3 stands for ‘Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package’; it was developed primarily at the DLR Institute of Planetary Research. A penetrometer capable of hammering itself five metres deep into the Martian subsurface was intended to measure the thermal conductivity of the soil beneath the landing site and determine the amount of heat flowing from the interior of Mars to the surface. The experiment was designed to run for two years. The main components of HP 3 are the 'Mole' and a ribbon cable fitted with temperature sensors, which the Mole was designed to pull behind it into the subsurface.
