NASA probe finds dead robot on Mars surface
Mars is collecting artifacts.
Without the large, powerful cameras onboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, we might miss out on the Martian landscape to see evidence of water’s past and changes on Mars. But the spacecraft occupied the space agency’s decommissioned InSight lander and its surrounding landing site, which was gradually being covered in desert dust.
“Can you find @NASAInSight?” NASA asked on X (formerly Twitter). “The decommissioned lander was recently discovered by the Mars Reconnaissance Rover. By studying the InSight landing site over time, scientists will be able to see how quickly dust accumulates. can be used to estimate the age of other surface disturbances.
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The InSight lander mission concluded in December 2022 after four productive years investigating geological activity on Mars. NASA robots have measured more than 1,300 Mars earthquakes, including “monster” earthquakes, providing further evidence that Mars is geologically all but dead. It analyzed Mars’ core and also transmitted daily weather forecasts.
But unlike NASA’s nuclear-powered rovers Perseverance and Curiosity, the InSight lander ran on solar power. It was expected that Martian dust would coat the solar panels with a thick layer of deposits, reducing the lander’s power output. In the end, the battery ran out.
mashable light speed
InSight is in the center of the image below. If you look closely, you can see that two circular solar panels are deployed across the main body.
NASA’s retired InSight lander collects dust on the plains of Elysium Planitia.
Credit: NASA
The InSight lander’s solar panels deployed during a 2015 test.
Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Lockheed Martin Space
The tweet may have been deleted
Other past Mars explorers, including the Phoenix lander, the Opportunity rover, and the Ingenuity helicopter, are also sleeping peacefully in the terrestrial desert of Mars. NASA also found discarded landing gear and a parachute.
Perhaps someday, the ruins of these early Mars explorations will be protected in the same way that national parks are today on Earth.
For now, InSight is collecting dust on the flat equatorial plains of Elysium Planitia.