NASA discovers the largest crater on Mars

Archive photo

Meteorites that collided with Mars last year sent seismic waves thousands of miles to the surface of Mars, excavating what NASA considers the largest crater found to date: nearly 500 feet in diameter.

This discovery was made possible only by data collected by the InSight lander which measured the earthquakes and by the Mars Exploration Rover provided extraordinary images of the resulting craters.

The incoming space rocks were between 16 feet and 40 feet in diameter and recorded impacts of about 4 degrees.

The orbiter’s cameras showed debris, as well as white patches of ice around the crater, the coldest water seen at low latitudes.

Mars’ atmosphere is thin unlike Earth, where the dense atmosphere prevents most space rocks from reaching Earth, fracturing and burning them.

A separate study last month linked a recent series of small Martian meteorite collisions with smaller craters closer to InSight, using data from the same lander and orbiter.

Observations of the collision come as Insight nears the end of its mission due to its waning power, its solar panels are covered in sandstorms. InSight landed on the tropical plains of Mars in 2018 and has since recorded more than 1,300 earthquakes.

“It will be heartbreaking when we finally lose contact with Insight,” said Bruce Banerdt of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who was involved in the studies. “But the data you sent us will surely keep us busy for years to come.”