A message was shared on Tuesday (Dec. 20) on NASA’s Inside Mars Lander Twitter account. It said, “The robot currently on Mars will soon fail.”
Thus ending its nearly four-year journey to study the Red Planet’s early evolution.
In the tweet, NASA’s Inside Mars Lander said, “My power is very low, so this may be the last picture I can send. Don’t worry about me though.
My time here has been productive and peaceful,” it said.
In this case, NASA knew that the engine was running slowly. Until a few months ago, InSight was active in detecting the strongest earthquakes recorded on Mars in May this year.
What is the purpose of the Inside Lander?
According to NASA, the lander had two main functions. The first is to learn how rocky planets form and operate.
Also, the study of the internal structure and geological processes of Mars through its various layers such as core, mantle and crust.
The second is to find out how tectonically active Mars is today and how often meteorites impact it. This included measuring Martian vibrations and detecting more than 1,300 earthquakes.
Meanwhile, “INSIGHT has revolutionized our understanding of the interiors of rocky planets and set the stage for future missions,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division.
“What we’ve learned about the internal structure of Mars can be applied to Earth, the Moon, Venus and other rocky planets in our solar system,” he said.
Why is Insight being discontinued?
When InSight landed on Mars in 2018, its solar panels produced about 5,000 watt hours each Martian day. Every Tuesday is 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth. Now, they produce about 500 watt hours per sol.
The panels’ ability to capture energy naturally decreases over time so there is less power. The air contains more dust, which collects on the panels and reduces the amount of sunlight received.
Even if some dust is removed beforehand, this task will require a very powerful dust-clearing event, like a very strong wind.
Due to reduced power, NASA announced in May this year that the team will soon put the lander’s robotic arm into its rest position.
Why was a robot sent to Mars?
According to NASA, there is insufficient study of the processes beneath the surface of Mars, which are responsible for shaping the structures above the ground.
Additionally, Mars allows for more practical study of the larger questions about the Solar System in the form of a “perfect laboratory.”
Compared to other terrestrial planets, Mars is neither too big nor too small. This means it preserves a record of its formation and can give us insight into how terrestrial planets formed.
Furthermore, it is the perfect laboratory to study the formation and evolution of rocky planets.
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