InSight Mars lander mission officially ends
Posted: Sat, Dec 24, 2022, 11:13 AM ET (1613 GMT)
NASA's InSight Mars mission is officially over, the agency announced Wednesday. The lander missed its second consecutive communications session as its power levels dropped, the threshold NASA previously set for declaring the mission over. InSight's power had been diminishing as dust accumulated on its solar panels, despite the best efforts of engineers to try and remove that dust. The lander exceeded its prime mission of one Martian year, or nearly two Earth years, recording more than 1,300 marsquakes with its seismometer. A heat flow probe, though, was never able to burrow into the surface as planned because soil properties at the landing site differed from what scientists had expected.
NASA's InSight Mars mission is officially over, the agency announced Wednesday. The lander missed its second consecutive communications session as its power levels dropped, the threshold NASA previously set for declaring the mission over. InSight's power had been diminishing as dust accumulated on its solar panels, despite the best efforts of engineers to try and remove that dust. The lander exceeded its prime mission of one Martian year, or nearly two Earth years, recording more than 1,300 marsquakes with its seismometer. A heat flow probe, though, was never able to burrow into the surface as planned because soil properties at the landing site differed from what scientists had expected.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Report outlines cost growth in canceled NASA exploration programs
Posted: Sat, Jun 27 11:14 AM ET (1514 GMT) Perseverance Mars rover finds more potential biosignatures
Posted: Sat, Jun 27 11:12 AM ET (1512 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, June 28
SpaceX stock has cooled. Hiring for jobs in the space economy hasn’t
CNBC — 8:07 am ET (1207 GMT) SpaceX prepares for Sunday morning launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base
KSBY-TV San Luis Obispo, CA — 8:05 am ET (1205 GMT) From microsatellites to the €350m project: Greece sets out space strategy as Mitsotakis meets with Greek astronaut
Protothema — 8:03 am ET (1203 GMT) New Hoover Report Calls For US Leadership In Space Traffic Coordination As Orbital Congestion Accelerates
Stanford Univ. — 8:02 am ET (1202 GMT) Live coverage: SpaceX plans Sunday Starlink launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base
Spaceflight Now — 8:00 am ET (1200 GMT) |
