NASA’s InSight Mars lander must keep its batteries, otherwise it will die on Mars.
InSight is powered by solar energy, which it absorbs through a two-meter panel. However, the unpredictable weather on Mars – recently a lack of wind where InSight lives – threatens the life of the lander.
Strong gusts of wind, known as “cleaning events” are needed to throw Martian dust off InSight’s solar panels, Business Insider Reports. But these winds did not sweep Elysium Planitia, where Insight is located, and a thick layer of dust accumulated on the lander and could not be loaded correctly. Yahoo News reported.
InSight receives 27% of its normal charging power.
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The robot is in good condition and is still able to operate its moving arm, but it risks causing a potential fatal power failure and, if the batteries die, so can InSight.
NASA has gradually shut down various instruments on the lander, and InSight will soon enter hibernation mode. The Lander will have to survive the winter of the planet until July 2021, when Mars approaches the sun.
“The amount of energy available in the next few months will really be driven by the weather,” said Chuck Scott of NASA’s Southern California Jet Propulsion Laboratory and InSight project manager.
“We hope to be able to bring him back to life, especially if he’s not asleep or dead for a long time,” said Bruce Banerdt, InSight’s chief investigator. Insider. “But that would be a difficult situation.”
“As part of our extended mission planning, we have developed an operational strategy to keep InSight safe throughout the winter so that we can resume scientific operations as the solar intensity increases,” he continued.
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