The Mars InSight lander gasped. The spacecraft, which has been studying the interior of the planet Mars for several years, is not expected to arrive until the end of the year.
InSight was launched in May 2018 and the spacecraft landed on the surface of Mars in November of the same year. Since then, the lander has detected more than 1,300 earthquakes on Mars, among other things.
Recently, however, NASA reported: InSight is losing power and has only a few months left to live. The space agency expects the spacecraft to be shut down by the end of the year.
This is due to the amount of dust that has accumulated on the spacecraft’s solar panels. The off-road vehicle is equipped with two solar panels, each approximately 2.2 meters wide.
selfie with robot arm
NASA last week allowed the spacecraft to take a “selfie” with its robotic arm for the last time. This indicates that there is a thick layer of dust on the solar panels. The landlord cannot remove the dust itself.
“Before I lose any more solar energy, I took the time to admire the surroundings and take one last selfie before holding my arm and camera in the permanently folded position,” NASA said in the report. Twitter account From Insight.
Dust limits the amount of energy the ATV can fire. Where in 2018 it was still possible to produce 5,000 watt-hours per day on Mars (1 day and 39 minutes on Earth), this has now fallen to 500 watt-hours.
InSight is expected to lose even more power in the near future. Therefore, scientific activities will be suspended from the summer. NASA expects the spacecraft to be completely useless by December.
A strong vortex can help
However, this is not entirely certain. A powerful tourbillon can still offer a solution. If such a wind were to blow 25% of the dust off the lander, the spacecraft could continue collecting scientific data for now.
Such a powerful tourbillon is highly unlikely. That’s why NASA is trying to collect as much scientific data as possible while it still can.
Source: NU
Jason Jack is an experienced technology journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in computer science and engineering, he has a deep understanding of the latest technology trends and developments. He writes about a wide range of technology topics, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, and cybersecurity.
