Pence Hails NASA's InSight Mars Landing Success (& Other Reactions)

Congratulations are rolling in for the Mars InSight team after NASA successfully touched down on the Red Planet.

NASA confirmed the successful landing at 2:53 p.m. EST (1953 GMT) through two small satellites called the Mars Cube One, which were designed to travel with InSight and speed up engineers' knowledge of how the spacecraft was fairing. As it turned out, that trial mission succeeded with flying colors, also conveying InSight's first photograph of its new home on Mars.

Congratulations to @NASA, @LockheedMartin, @ulalaunch, & all who made today's @NASAInSight #MarsLanding possible! This marks the 8th time the US has landed on Mars & the 1st mission to study its deep interior. Incredible milestone! https://t.co/plgJch3Vpc
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) November 26, 2018

One of the first onlookers to chime in with congratulations for the team was Vice President Mike Pence, who chairs the National Space Council, an advisory group to the president. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who was at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California for the landing, said during live coverage that he received a congratulatory phone call as well.

Congratulation @NASA on nailing this (8th!!) #Marslanding - an epic milestone in space exploration! https://t.co/3och5UyPkR
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) November 26, 2018

Legislators chimed in to congratulate NASA and the InSight team as well, including Marco Rubio, the outgoing governor of Florida and incoming senator from the same state, and New York Senator Chuck Schumer.

Great nations do great things.
Congratulations to the team at @NASA for a successful #MarsLanding & giving all Americans something to be very proud of. https://t.co/qflIik94o3
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 26, 2018

I remember that first time Americans set foot on the moon. And I feel that same wonder every time @NASA pushes us farther and farther out into the universe.
Congratulations on another amazing landing on Mars, NASA! #MarsLanding @NASAInSight https://t.co/XPXXFNGMBy
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 26, 2018

Space fans, of course, were quick to celebrate the successful landing as well. The European Space Agency sent congratulations from across the pond, and U.S. commercial space company SpaceX tweetd in celebration as well.

Absolutely HUGE #congratulations to everyone at @NASAJPL and all involved in this incredible achievement. Landing on #Mars is extremely difficult, and this perfect landing is a testament to your skill, ingenuity and sheer love of exploration#MarsLanding #InSight @NASA #Touchdown pic.twitter.com/U9aCzvfhNZ
— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) November 26, 2018

Congratulations to @NASA on another successful landing on the Red Planet! https://t.co/45Pc4NdT35
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 26, 2018

Celebrity science communicator Bill Nye was on the scene at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and shared a selfie with the first image from InSight shortly after the data came through.

Gorgeous Sol on Mars! InSight's 1st image!!!!! The dust cover is still on. That's Martian dust Bee-Tee-Dubs! pic.twitter.com/pzCP4MNKeP
— Bill Nye (@BillNye) November 26, 2018

Astronauts also shared their congratulations on the feat, including four-time shuttle veteran Ellen Ochoa and Scott Kelly, who spent nearly a year in space.

Congrats to the @NASAInSight team!! Lots of unique science to come https://t.co/ToP3pALZfV
— Ellen Ochoa (@Astro_Ellen) November 26, 2018

Mars is hard, but we are smart and work together to do hard things. Congrats to @NASAJPL and all teams involved in sticking @NASAInSight #MarsLanding! https://t.co/l0p5sm12ne
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) November 26, 2018

Of course, not everyone was quite so serious in congratulating the InSight team for sticking their landing. Adam Savage, the former co-host of the television show "Mythbusters," lightened the mood on Twitter soon after touchdown, reminding us all of what an incredible feat the landing process is.