Dust shortens NASA’s InSight space probe mission to Mars

After spending nearly four years on Martian soil, InSight research will terminate your transaction.

(17) At the meeting on Tuesday, those in charge of the task concluded that the probe was about to lose its ability to capture energy to keep it working. The spacecraft, which produced about 5,000 Watt-hours per day at the start of the mission, now produces only 500 Watt-hours in the same period, due to dust accumulating on the solar panels.

This disruption in energy capture refers directly to the probe’s ability to operate, causing its instruments to hibernate and keeping only essential systems operational.

The probe is expected to continue collecting and sending data until mid-July and is no longer able to capture and produce energy and terminate its mission in December.

While the dust problem on Mars is not new and measures have been taken to minimize malfunctions, some variables have helped make the accumulation happen.

The absence of winds that could “sweep” the surface of the solar panels was one of these factors. According to the team, if a storm occurs in the next few months, the probe’s lifetime could be extended as it will help clear the panels and restore its light-gathering potential. However, they do not rely on this event for research care.

Inner Reconnaissance (InSight) Using Seismic Surveys, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) landed on Mars on November 26, 2018 at Plain Elysium. Since its inception, the probe has detected more than 1,300 seismic events, along with several dust storms.

Information was also collected about its crust, and for the first time it was possible to analyze the interior of the planet Mars. The data show that Mars has at least two lower crusts and a liquid core.

While the probe’s days are numbered, all the information gathered will be analyzed over the years and can be used to understand the formation of other rocky planets such as Earth and Venus.