NASA has made a fascinating discovery about its retired Mars lander, InSight. The satellite, which was launched in 2018, had provided scientists with valuable data on Martian seismic activity and weather patterns for four years before shutting down in December 2022. What’s remarkable is that the InSight lander has been spotted intact by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, nearly two years after its mission ended.
The discovery was made possible by a powerful camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which captured images of InSight’s landing site on Elysium Planitia. The lander is no longer operational due to its solar panel energy source failing in the harsh Martian environment, where dust accumulates quickly and makes it difficult for equipment to function.
Despite being unable to carry out its original mission, NASA sees this as an opportunity to study InSight’s landing site over time, which helps scientists estimate the age of other surface disturbances on Mars. This discovery highlights the importance of understanding how the Martian environment changes over time and will provide valuable insights into the planet’s geology.
InSight is not alone in its new resting place; it shares the terrain with debris from past Mars missions, including the Opportunity rover, Phoenix lander, Ingenuity helicopter, parachutes, and landing gear. While there are no plans to retrieve InSight or any other space tech from Mars just yet, scientists hope that one day they will have the chance to recover some of this equipment and bring it back to Earth for recycling and analysis.
Source: https://www.blanquivioletas.com/en/nasas-perseverance-rover-image-mars