Scientists at the American space agency NASA say they are beginning to gather data from Mars after successfully landing a probe on the surface of the red planet.
The InSight spacecraft survived a perilous descent on Monday and has already sent back its first picture.
Key words and phrases
probe
a tool or piece of equipment used for finding information
• NASA’s probe will send soil samples back from Mars.
• An internal probe by the police department found evidence of corruption in the force.
touched down
landed
• The rocket touched down at six o’clock in the evening.
• The plane is scheduled to touch down in New York before continuing to Miami.
beating the odds
succeeding in a situation in which success is unlikely
• The oldest horse in the race is beating the odds! He’s going to win!
• Despite losing their first few games, they beat the odds and won the league.