The InSight lander, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport, is a NASA mission designed to study the deep interior of the planet Mars. Launched on May 5, 2018, and successfully landing on Mars on November 26, 2018, InSight’s primary goal was to provide detailed information about the Martian interior to advance understanding of the processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system. The lander was equipped with a seismometer to detect marsquakes, a heat flow probe to measure the planet’s internal heat, and other instruments to assess its rotation and internal structure. This mission marked the first time a robotic explorer conducted a deep study of Mars’ subsurface, aiming to uncover insights into the planet’s evolutionary history, including its core size, composition, and thermal state. InSight’s findings are crucial for preparing future human missions and broadening our knowledge of planetary formation.
Seismic signals indicate Mars gets hit by around 300 basketball-sized meteorites every year, providing a new tool for dating planetary surfaces. Scientists involved in NASA’s…
Penn State scientists are investigating the use of seismoelectric signals from marsquakes to identify deep underground water on Mars. This technique, based on detecting electromagnetic…
Recently, a team of scientists involved in NASA’s InSight mission completed an analysis of seismic data recorded on Mars after a meteorite impact that occurred…
New NASA InSight research reveals a liquid silicate ‘blanket’ wrapped around Mars’ core, leading to new clues about the planet’s evolutionary history and the loss…
Mars’s liquid iron core is smaller and denser than previously thought. Not only is it smaller, but it is also surrounded by a layer of…
Recent data challenges initial NASA InSight Mars Lander mission findings about Mars’ internal structure. Researchers have discovered a molten silicate layer at the Martian mantle’s…
Data sent by the spacecraft before it retired last December has provided new details about how fast the planet rotates and how much it wobbles….
In 2021, a pair of quakes sent seismic waves deep into the Red Planet’s core, giving scientists the best data yet on its size and…
New NASA InSight research reveals that Mars has a liquid core rich in sulfur and oxygen, leading to new clues about how terrestrial planets form,…
Researchers have gained new insights into Mars’ liquid core, discovering that it is slightly denser and smaller than previously believed, and contains a mixture of…
After more than four years on the Red Planet, NASA mission managers have concluded that the solar-powered InSight lander has run out of energy. NASA’s…
We have known for a while that the end was near for NASA’s Mars InSight lander, as the spacecraft’s power supply continued to dwindle from…
These craters provide fascinating clues regarding the formation and evolution of the planet’s interior and atmosphere. Four new craters created by impacts on the surface…
Researchers have observed seismic waves traveling throughout the surface of a planet other than Earth for the first time after two large meteorite impacts on…
A closer look at what goes into wrapping up the mission as the InSight spacecraft’s power supply continues to dwindle. The end is nigh for…
NASA’s InSight lander felt the ground shake during the impact while cameras aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the cavernous new crater from space. Last…
InSight’s team is taking steps to help the solar-powered lander continue operating for as long as possible. Recently, NASA’s InSight mission, which is expected to…
NASA’s InSight “Hears” Its First Meteoroid Impacts on Mars SEIS, the Mars lander’s seismometer, has picked up vibrations from four separate impacts in the past…