Nasa Mars InSight rover could reveal secrets inside the red planet

A robotic geologist is being sent to Mars to dig deeper than ever before and perform a full'medical' of its vital signs. The Mars InSight spacecraft will take the planet's temperature and as well as its pulse - making the first measurements of'marsquakes' that shake its surface. The probe will also check the celestial body's reflexes, with experts tracking the rotation of Mars on its axis to better understand the size and make-up of its core. The billion dollar (£734 million) joint US and European mission, which launches this weekend, is the first dedicated to studying the innards of the red planet. By probing Mars' insides, drilling 16ft (five metres) into it's surface, scientists hope to better understand how rocky planets formed 4.5 billion years ago.