Update: Shortly after this article was published, NASA announced that it Unable to communicate with Mars Insight Lander (opens in new tab) Two consecutive attempts ended a four-year mission on the planet’s surface.
Twilight is approaching NASA’s Mars rover InSight, which has been studying the inner workings of Mars since November 2018.
On Tuesday (December 20), NASA statement (opens in new tab) InSight did not respond to normal communications from Earth. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s a warning that the InSight may finally die after months of dwindling power supplies.
The official is “My power is so low, this may be the last image I send.” insight twitter account (opens in new tab) Tweeted with a dusty selfie on Dec. 19. “Don’t worry about me. My time here has been productive and calm. If I could keep talking to the mission team, I would, but I’m signing off here soon. Stay with me.” Thank you for having me.”
The solar panels that InSight powers have been constantly beating dust and dirt over the last four years, gradually reducing their available energy. This summer, conditions were so dire that NASA turned off all InSight science instruments except the seismometer. This allowed the ailing lander to focus as long as possible on its primary mission objective of listening for firequakes to study the interior of Mars.
NASA will officially end the InSight mission if the lander does not respond to two consecutive communication sessions. After that, her operations team of 25 to 30 people will complete the mission by properly storing her four years of data in InSight and making it readily accessible to researchers around the world.
InSight landed on Mars’ Elysium Planitia, a flat, volcanically active plain that straddles the Martian equator on November 26, 2018. Using a robotic arm, the lander deployed a small seismometer, a device used to measure seismic waves produced by earthquakes. and impact) to the plain and covered with a dome-shaped heat shield and windshield. Since then, InSight has detected more than 1,300 earthquakes. Megaquake of magnitude 4.7 on May 4, 2022.
Studying this seismic data is already helping scientists Mapping the mysterious interior of Mars,detection Largest meteor impact ever recorded Mars volcanism is possible in our solar system Leads to hidden sources of liquid water.
Scrutinize four years’ worth of data and scientists around the world will use InSight’s insights to unlock the mysteries of Mars for years to come. Goodbye sweet robot.
