InSight Lander Runs Out of Energy, Signaling End of NASA Mission
Orion Goodman
The last selfie InSight took of itself on April 24, 2022.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL - Caltech
The NASA InSight mission, which aimed to study the interior of Mars, has officially come to an end after over four years of collecting scientific data on the Red Planet. On December 21st, 2022, mission controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California were unable to make contact with the lander after two consecutive attempts, leading them to conclude that the solar-powered batteries had run out of energy and the spacecraft had become "dead." NASA had previously decided that if the lander missed two communication attempts, the mission would be considered over. Although NASA will continue to listen for a signal from the lander, it is considered unlikely to hear from it at this point.
InSight, which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport, was equipped with a highly sensitive seismometer that detected 1,319 marsquakes, including those caused by meteoroid impacts. This data provided scientists with valuable information about the planet's crust, mantle, and core and allowed them to determine the age of the planet's surface.
In addition to the seismometer, the lander also featured a self-hammering spike called "the mole" that was intended to dig down 16 feet and measure the heat within the planet. However, the mole was unable to gain traction in the unexpectedly clumpy soil around InSight and only managed to bury its probe slightly below the surface. Despite this setback, engineers at JPL and the German Aerospace Center used the lander's robotic arm to retrieve valuable data on the Martian soil's physical and thermal properties.
As dust accumulated on the lander's solar panels and reduced its energy, the seismometer was the last science instrument that remained powered. The mission was extended earlier this year, but eventually, the lander's batteries ran out of energy. Despite the challenges faced, the InSight mission provided us with invaluable scientific discovery and information about Mars, and has inspired future missions to the Red Planet.
NASAInsight on Twitter made one last tweet saying:
"My power's really low, so this may be the last image I can send," the message said. "Don't worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will — but I'll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me."
