NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, provided an incredible image of the Martian dawn on Monday. The space agency resorted to its official Instagram account to share an intriguing image captured by the InSight rover. InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport) was the first robotic explorer to probe Mars’ crust, mantle, and core. According to NASA, this image was taken by the rover on April 10.
NASA shared the image on Instagram, writing, ‘On April 10, 2022, the 1198th sol (or Martian day) of its mission, our InSight lander captured this view of Martian sunrise on the plains of Elysium Planitia.’ It continued, ‘InSight is NASA’s first mission to investigate Mars’ interior—its crust, mantle, and core—in deep. InSight has measured hundreds of ‘Marsquakes,’ studied mysterious magnetic pulses, and provided us with incredible views like this one with its seismometer and other scientific instruments; what we’re learning from InSight will not only reveal how planets like Mars first formed, but it will also help us understand the Red Planet’s patterns as we prepare for humans to explore Mars on future NASA missions.’
NASA’s InSight rover isn’t the only robot on Mars; it’s also aided by the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity mars chopper. Meanwhile, the InSight rover has two primary scientific objectives: to investigate the interior structure and processes of Mars in order to understand the formation and evolution of the terrestrial planet and to determine the current level of tectonic activity and meteorite impact rate on the planet. The Perseverance rover, on the other hand, was tasked with looking for traces of ancient life and collecting samples of rock and regolith (soil) for a possible return to Earth, while Ingenuity was tasked with testing the first powered flight on Mars.
Post Your Comments