NASA’s InSight lander continues to provide valuable insights about Mars, even after its retirement.
Recent photos taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in late October show InSight resting on the Martian surface. Although no longer active, the lander is offering researchers new data on the accumulation and evolution of dust in the area.
“Even though InSight is no longer communicating with us, it continues to educate us about Mars,” explained science team member Ingrid Daubar from Brown University in a statement by NASA on Dec. 16. “By monitoring dust accumulation and movement due to wind and dust devils, we gain more insight into the atmospheric processes that shape the planet.”
Landing on Mars in November 2018, InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport) has been stationed in the western Elysium Planitia region, around 370 miles (600 kilometers) north of the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater. Its primary mission was to study the planet’s interior structure, geological processes, thermal and chemical evolution, providing a better understanding of its formation and development over billions of years.
Related: InSight lander: Probing the Martian interior
Over its four-year operational span, InSight utilized advanced tools to explore Martian subsurface, revealing the processes that influenced the terrestrial planets. Through seismology, heat flow analysis, and precision tracking, InSight monitored the planet’s seismic activity, temperature, and movements.
Notably, InSight detected the first “marsquake,” recording a total of 1,319 temblors triggered by seismic events and meteor impacts. “The seismic data collected from this Discovery Program mission offers valuable insights not only into Mars but also other rocky bodies, including Earth,” stated Thomas Zurbuchen, the former associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a December 2022 release.
Its seismometer was the last functioning scientific instrument before InSight’s official retirement in December 2022. The mission concluded as dust accumulation on its solar panels decreased power supply, resulting in communication loss with Earth. Despite this, engineers continue to monitor for radio signals from the lander, hoping that Martian winds may clear the panels for operational revival.
Recent MRO images reveal the reddish-brown tint on InSight’s solar panels, matching Mars’ hue. NASA’s scientists at Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimated the accumulated dust from the visuals, aiding in future mission planning.
NASA indicated that, as no changes have been observed in the past two years, monitoring for InSight signals will cease by year-end.
“It’s a mix of emotions to see InSight today,” voiced Daubar. “Despite its successful mission and valuable scientific contributions, we knew it wouldn’t last forever.”
