InSight Mars mission nears end
Posted: Sun, May 22, 2022, 9:17 AM ET (1317 GMT)
NASA confirmed Tuesday that the end is in sight for the InSight Mars lander. Project officials said that dust accumulating on the spacecraft's solar panels, along with increased dust in the atmosphere from seasonal changes, mean power levels are dropping to critical levels. Spacecraft controllers will start turning off science instruments and put the lander's robotic arm into a final "retirement pose" in the next few weeks, and operate the main instrument, a seismometer, intermittently through the summer. Power levels will likely cause the spacecraft to cease operations entirely by the end of the year, which NASA had anticipated for some time.
NASA confirmed Tuesday that the end is in sight for the InSight Mars lander. Project officials said that dust accumulating on the spacecraft's solar panels, along with increased dust in the atmosphere from seasonal changes, mean power levels are dropping to critical levels. Spacecraft controllers will start turning off science instruments and put the lander's robotic arm into a final "retirement pose" in the next few weeks, and operate the main instrument, a seismometer, intermittently through the summer. Power levels will likely cause the spacecraft to cease operations entirely by the end of the year, which NASA had anticipated for some time.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Roscosmos replaces cosmonaut on next Crew Dragon mission to ISS
Posted: Sat, Dec 6 9:45 AM ET (1445 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, December 21
Eutelsat OneWeb to deploy 340 satellites in Gen-2 push; eyeing ISRO for key launches
MSN India — 5:07 am ET (1007 GMT) Space Acquisition Leaders Concerned SBIR Lapse Could Hurt Innovation Pipeline
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 5:06 am ET (1006 GMT) Rocket Lab signs huge deal with US space agency
Radio New Zealand — 5:05 am ET (1005 GMT) Rocket Lab Successfully Launches for iQPS, Ends 2025 with 21 Launches and 100% Mission Succes
Rocket Lab — 5:04 am ET (1004 GMT) Wheelchair user makes historic Blue Origin spaceflight
KTSM-TV El Paso — 5:02 am ET (1002 GMT) |
