The catastrophic earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan has produced a ripple effect on global business that reaches far beyond any seismic wave.

FORBES: When Disaster Strikes: Avoiding A Hit To Your Supply Chain

Based on the Phoenix lander, the craft is tasked with giving us a peek beneath the planet's surface, armed with tools that include a geodetic instrument from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which will be used to calculate Mars' rotation axis, a seismic wave sensor and a subsurface heat probe, to measure the planet's internal temperature.

ENGADGET: NASA InSight tapped for Mars drilling mission in 2016

Standard seismic exploration typically involves setting off an explosion, then measuring the passage of its shock wave through the ground.

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