NASA bids farewell to Insight after more than four years of service.
Mission controller announced the death of the Mars lander on Wednesday after two failed attempts to contact the craft.
The team from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said the cause of death was the craft’s batteries, which had run out – what government engineers call a “dead bus”.
The last time the lander communicated with Earth was on December 15, but mission control had previously decided to declare the mission over if Insight missed two communication attempts.
Insight’s official Twitter account posted what was believed to be the last photo taken by the Mars lander on Tuesday.
NASA shared an Insight image on Tuesday (pictured), saying it may be the last image from the Mars lander as its batteries run out of charge
Insight has detected more than 1,300 tremors with its French seismometer, including several caused by meteoroid impacts, since the 2018 Mars landing.
Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said in a statement: “I watched the launch and landing of this mission, and while saying goodbye to a spacecraft is always sad, the fascinating science conducted by InSight is cause for celebration.
“The seismic data from this alone offers tremendous insights not only about Mars, but also about other rocky bodies, including Earth.”
The final image of Insight shows its seismometer, the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), a circular, dome-shaped instrument.
SEIS sits on the surface of Mars to pick up its “pulse,” or seismic vibrations, and provide insight into the planet’s internal activity.
InSight also carries two engineering cameras—one mounted on the arm (known as the IDC) and the other on the front of the lander (known as the ICC)—that took this final image.
Earlier this summer, the lander had so little power left that the mission shut down Insight’s other science instruments to keep the seismometer running.
NASA even turned off the fail-safe system, which would otherwise automatically shut down the seismometer if the system detected that power generation from the lander was dangerously low.
Insight was tasked with exploring the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including those on Earth and the Moon, formed.
He was only supposed to run for two years, but his mission was extended to four years after he was found to have “produced outstanding science” by an independent review panel.
Even from the beginning of the mission, it was clear to NASA officials that it would not be as long-lasting as some of the agency’s other projects.
It was known that its solar panels would eventually become covered in Martian dust, making it difficult to generate power.
NASA said fitting it with some kind of mechanism that removes the dust “would add cost, mass and complexity” that could hinder its success.
The US space agency said the scientific results and discoveries obtained by Insight “have answered many questions and raised new ones for future researchers”.
NASA shared the final image of the lander as the sun set over Mars
Unfortunately, wind-blown Martian dust gradually collects on Insight’s solar panels, making it difficult to generate power. The lander is pictured above in December 2018
Insight landed near the equator of Mars on the western side of a flat lava space, Elysium Planitia – and shortly after tweeted its first image
These include the detection of the first earthquakes on another planet, including the latest in May this year.
That quake was an estimated magnitude 5, with tremors reverberating across the planet for at least six hours.
Insight also showed that the planet’s crust is thinner than expected — about 15 to 25 miles (25 to 40 kilometers) thick, consisting of three inner layers.
Laurie Leshin, director of JPL, which is managing the mission, said: “InSight more than lived up to its name.
“As a scientist who has spent a career studying Mars, it has been exciting to see what the lander has achieved, thanks to a whole team of people around the world who have helped make this mission a success.
“Yes, it’s sad to say goodbye, but InSight’s legacy will live on, informing and inspiring.”
Insight’s best science results
First earthquake detected on another planet
Insight has made the first detection of earthquakes on the Red Planet.
Its built-in seismometer has measured over 1,300 seismic events.
The most recent, in May 2022, had an estimated magnitude of 5, with tremors reverberating across the planet for at least six hours.
New information on the three main layers of Mars
Insight gathered new information about the three main layers of Mars – crust, mantle and core.
Scientists found that the crust beneath InSight is thinner than expected — about 15 to 25 miles (25 to 40 kilometers) thick, consisting of three inner layers.
I found magnetic “ghosts” from an old electric field
Insight carried the first-ever magnetometer to the surface of Mars, allowing it to detect magnetic signals.
In its early history, Mars had electrical currents flowing inside its molten metallic core as the planet cooled rapidly.
This global magnetic field has disappeared, but it has left behind ghosts: traces of this ancient field “frozen” in the rock crust.
InSight’s magnetometer found that ancient rocks between 200 feet (61 meters) and several miles underground are strongly magnetized.
Read more here
Add Comment