Nasa employees celebrate Mars probe landing with elaborate handshake
Two members of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory celebrated the achievement with an impressive handshake.
Nasa’s newest probe on a two-year mission to Mars, InSight, made a successful landing on the planet on Monday afternoon, triggering delighted celebrations across the globe.
When the announcement was made that InSight had landed and the mission was a success, Nasa employees were obviously thrilled, with two mission controllers launching into an impressive handshake to celebrate.
The uplifting moment from inside the agency’s California Jet Propulsion Laboratory quickly went viral, garnering tens of thousands retweets.
“This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team.”
People on social media obviously loved the multi-part handshake complete with high-fives and dance moves, with some claiming that the moment was even more exciting than the Mars landing itself.
The InSight probe touched down on Mars’ Elysium Planitia area north of its equator after travelling at 13,200mph through the planet’s atmosphere.
Nasa’s $814 million (£633 million) mission aims to explore how the planet was formed and map its core, crust and mantle.
A second device will burrow five metres into the planet’s surface, measuring Mars’ temperature, while a third experiment will determine how Mars wobbles on its axis.
