Accumulated dust ends the adventure of the “NASA” probe on Mars

After nearly four years of probing the depths of Mars, the InSight probe plans to end its operations next summer due to dust accumulating on its solar panels.
However, the data collected will be used by scientists from all over the world for several years, to continue to improve the understanding of the way planets form, according to what the US space agency “NASA” indicated.
The “Insight” probe, which is equipped with a particularly high-sensitivity seismograph, recorded more than 1,300 “Martian tremors”, one of which was of five degrees just two weeks ago, and is the strongest so far, according to “French”.
But before the mission ends, around July, the seismograph will be turned off. The probe’s energy level will then be measured about once a day, and some pictures are also taken. By the end of 2022, the mission will be stopped entirely.
This is due to the accumulation over the months of Martian dust on the two solar panels, each 2.2 meters wide.
And it turned out that the speed of dust accumulation is almost equal to what was previously estimated by the NASA teams.
About a year ago, “NASA” carried out a remarkable cleaning process, in which dust was used.
The robot’s arm dug out the surface and gently lowered loads of Martian soil over the robot. The wind carried some of the dust onto the solar panels, extending the life of the mission.
But why not integrate tools that allow cleaning the plates directly? The reason is a question of cost, says Bruce Barnardt of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Such a mechanism would have detracted from the budget for scientific instruments.
InSight, one of the four robots currently on Mars with the American probes Perseverance and Curiosity and China’s Jurong, reached the red planet in November 2018.
His built-in seismograph, made in France, allowed him to make great strides.
The internal structure of Mars has always raised a “big question mark”, according to Banrdt, who has been working on this mission for more than ten years. But thanks to Insight, “we were able for the first time in history to map the interior of Mars.”
The seismic waves, which vary according to the material they pass through, provide a picture of the interior of the Red Planet.
For example, scientists were able to confirm that the Martian core is liquid, and determined the thickness of the Martian crust, which is less dense than previously thought and probably consists of three layers.
In addition, in early May, a tremor was recorded much larger than all of its predecessors, with a strength of five degrees, and while this tremor would have been normal on Earth, it may approach the maximum strength on Mars, according to scientists’ estimates.

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