NASA’s InSight lander on Mars detected a magnitude 4.7 Marsquake on May 4. The quake was at least five times as powerful as the strongest earthquake previously recorded on the red planet.
This is according to research which is Wednesday published. “This was definitely the largest Martian earthquake we’ve seen so far,” said planetary scientist Taichi Kawamura. According to the researchers, this earthquake released as much energy as all other recorded Martian earthquakes combined.
The epicenter of the quake was 2,000 kilometers from the InSight lander. Despite that distance, the Mars lander’s seismometer completely failed, the researchers report.
The waves of the earthquake lasted about ten hours. That’s quite a long time, since no previous Martian earthquake has lasted more than an hour.
Research into seismic activity on Mars could give scientists a better idea of what lies beneath the planet’s surface. For example, researchers hope to find water. They also want to know what materials make up Mars’ crust and interior.
The Mars lander will be out soon
InSight was launched in May 2018. In November of the same year, the spacecraft landed on Mars. In total, the Mars lander has already detected more than 1,300 earthquakes on the red planet. The lander also studies the planet’s atmosphere and magnetic fields.
The question is how long the lander will operate. The spacecraft’s solar panels are covered in a layer of dust. As a result, InSight can generate less and less power. As a result, the lander will likely fail permanently soon.
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