NASA entry, descent and landing systems engineers Brooke Harper (right) and Gene Bonfiglio (left) celebrate NASA's successful InSight landing on Mars with a touchdown dance in the mission control center of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Nov. 26, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA)

On November 26, 2018, scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California held their breath as the InSight spacecraft attempted the most challenging part of its 300 million-mile-long journey to Mars – landing. At 2:53 p.m. EST, following a few nail-biting moments, the room erupted in joy at the sound of the official “beep,” and the grainy photo of the Red Planet which confirmed that the lander had not only touched down safely but was functioning as expected.