Friday, 20 May 2022 – 16:00 WIB
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VIVA – Explorer Mars, InSightwill stop operating in the next few months due to reduced electricity supply.
Martian dust covering the solar panels has reduced the amount of power by about 500 watts per hour per day. When InSight landed in November 2018, the solar panels were producing about 5,000 watts per hour per sol.
“By the end of this year we have to complete all InSight operations. Not because we want to turn it off but unfortunately we don’t have the energy to activate it,” said InSight Deputy Project Manager, Kathya Zamora Garcia, as quoted from the website. Science AlertFriday, May 20, 2022.
Even so, InSight’s lifetime lasted almost twice as long as originally anticipated and in its lifetime, the rover was able to detect more than 1,300 earthquakes on the Red Planet.
The lander recently detected the largest earthquake there, the largest ever detected in another world. The mission is collecting unprecedented data about the structure and interior of Mars.
InSight’s solar panels are increasingly covered in Martian dust. The team had long hoped the dust demon would be able to clear the dust off the panels, as was the case with the Mars rover Spirit and Opportunity. Unfortunately nothing like that happened.
Since Martian dust is charged with static electricity, they take advantage of the magnetic properties of windy days to clean the panels.
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