NASA’s InSight Mars Lander is in an energy crisis, according to an initial report from Insider.
$ 800 million, the landing robot initially touched down on a Martian plain called Elysium Planitia in 2018 and detected more than 500 earthquakes alive on Mars, launched the study of the Red Planet’s core to new depths and monitored the passage of more than 10,000 dust devils.
However, this long list of scientific discoveries could come to an abrupt end, as the righteous cold of Mars’ time could permanently stop all operations.
At the time of writing, the InSight landing device is in hibernation mode, while NASA engineers are working to keep it from losing what is left of its precious life.
NASA’s InSight could withstand the Martian winter and recharge
The InSight landing area is unique. Called the Elysium Planitia, it lacks the strong gusts of wind enjoyed by NASA’s Perseverance rover. Wind gusts are also called “cleaning events” because they blow by accumulating Martian dust from the solar panels of NASA robots. Without this natural wind, dust forms in a thick, sun-blocking layer – and this is what happened to InSight, leaving it virtually unable to absorb sunlight to generate more energy.
In February, InSight’s solar panels generated about 27% of their total energy capacity – when winter comes in the Elysium Planitia. So NASA deliberately ordered InSight to enter “hibernation mode,” which shuts down various instruments every day. But soon the robot will be forced to stop all unnecessary functions for survival.
However, there is hope. Interrupting all scientific operations, the InSight landing device should be able to save enough crucial energy to maintain a warm environment for its systems to survive the deadly nights of death on Mars – when temperatures drop to -90 ° C (130 ° F). ).
“The amount of energy available in the next few months will really be driven by the weather,” Insight project manager Chuck Scott said in an official statement. We are almost halfway through the robot’s planned hibernation period, but while InSight looks good for now, the risk of a potentially fatal power loss has not diminished at least. If the robot’s batteries die, it could cause misfortune for the brave lander.
“We hope we can bring him back to life, especially if he’s not asleep or dead for a long time,” InSight lead researcher Bruce Banerdt said in a statement. Insider report. “But that would be an unpleasant situation.” NASA plans to restart full InSight operations after the Red Planet approaches the sun in July this year. If it goes through the terrible winter weather on Mars, the landing robot could continue to listen for earthquakes and study the weather until 2022.
The random dust storm on Mars could have a negative impact on NASA’s InSight
InSight’s lack of power influenced NASA’s decision to abandon the lander’s “mole” in January. It was designed to visualize the surface and measure temperatures deep inside the crust of Mars – much-needed data to understand the deep history of the Red Planet, in addition to its internal structure. But scientists have to give up access to more data while the landing gear shuts down its instruments – weather measurements are becoming scarce, and earthquake signals are expected to end next month or so.
Banderdt loosens the lander, you might also miss some big ones – but it’s better to save the whole lander than to sacrifice all future measurements for just one. If or when InSight loses its battery, the scientist explained, “it’s a good zombie spaceship” – which means it will actively recharge and restart once it has access to sunlight.
“The problem with this scenario is that in the meantime, the spacecraft is very, very cold,” Banderdt added. “And this happens in the coldest part of the year for the spacecraft. A lot of electronics are pretty delicate.”
“And, unfortunately, it’s quite likely that something will be damaged by the cold.”
While the signs indicate misfortune and sadness for NASA’s InSight lander, it could worsen. If a random dust storm ignites in the next four or five months, more dust may accumulate on InSight’s solar panels. Good luck to the robot, this is not the season of dust storms. “We think we’re pretty good, but Mars is unpredictable,” Banerdt added. “We never know exactly what will happen.”