NASA sends Mars InSight rocketing towards the Red Planet

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Martian lander successfully lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California at 4:05 a.m. Pacific Time Saturday.

Mars InSight, which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is NASA's first interplanetary mission to leave from the west coast of the US. 

Flying free! Our @NASAInSight spacecraft has successfully separated from @ULALaunch’s #AtlasV rocket. Next stop: Mars in 6 months. Watch: https://t.co/SA1B0Dglms pic.twitter.com/BCg7KR3wov

— NASA (@NASA) May 5, 2018

The Atlas 5 carrying InSight also carries a pair of experimental cubesats called MarCo and nicknamed "Wall-E" and "Eva" that will tag along to Mars. All three spacecraft took off on a southward path that carried the rocket over the Pacific Ocean, around the south pole toward the other side of the planet before making a left turn toward Mars. 

While the rocket's ascent towards space should have been visible from much of southern California and even parts of Mexico, fog on the ground made it difficult to catch a glimpse of the Atlas V without being above the foggy marine layer. 

NASA chief scientist Jim Green says while it was tough to actually see the landing pad, there was no missing the moment of launch.

"We heard it, we really heard it. Car alarms went off in the parking lot."

Still, some sky watchers and space nerds did manage to get up early and find a fog-free vantage point.