NASA scientists have reported an exciting discovery by the Mars Insight spacecraft – a mysterious rumble from the planet’s interior.
Researchers believe that seismic events could be triggered by a sudden release of energy from the planet’s interior, but the nature of this release remains unknown and puzzling.
Interestingly, the new spiders are believed to have originated in a place on Mars called Cerberus Fusai, where Two other events are previous candidates It is believed to have originated.
A dome-covered tool recently discovered a grumbling
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While these tremors are sometimes referred to as “earthquakes on Mars,” the planet is not thought to have an active tectonic system comparable to that of Earth that causes earthquakes.
Oddly enough, previous seismic events have been detected by the Space Agency’s Insight spacecraft – which He reached the surface of the planet In 2018 – it happened on Mars about a year ago, or two years on Earth, during Mars’ northern summer.
Scientists predicted that this season would give the lander the best chance of hearing earthquakes as the planet’s winds would calmer.
The InSight seismometer, called the Internal Structure Seismic Experiment (SEIS), is so sensitive that it must be covered with a domed shield during use to keep it out of the wind and prevent freezing.
Despite this, the wind still created enough vibrations to mask the seismic signals they were looking for, so a NASA team began trying to isolate the sensitive cable.
To do this, the team deployed the shovel on the end of the InSight robotic arm to pull the soil over the shield in a dome shape, allowing it to seep into the cable.
The intention is to get the ground as close to the shield as possible without disturbing the seal with the ground.
–Researchers are learning to distinguish between seismic signals
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Burying the seismic rope itself is one of the targets of the next phase of the mission, which NASA recently extended for two years through December 2022.
But despite the blowing of InSight’s seismometer, it doesn’t help much with the landing craft’s solar panels remaining covered in dust.
The energy is now decreasing as Mars moves away from the sun, although the energy level is expected to rise after July, when the planet begins to approach the sun again.
Until then, the team will shut down the InSight tools one at a time so they can hibernate, waking up periodically to check their health and send a message back to Earth.
NASA said the team hopes to run the seismometer for a month or two before turning it off.
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