The plane was still active, but its scientific instruments remained dead until the effects of the storm disappeared.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Spaceship InSight NASA in Mars has returned to normal operation, after about two weeks of hibernation due to a regional dust storm. The craft is still active, but the science instruments remain off until the effects of the dust storm can be further ascertained.
“NASA’s InSight has exited safe mode and resumed normal operations, although its science instruments remain off. The sky looks clear of dust above the spacecraft. Over the next two weeks, the mission team will assess the effects of dust accumulation on the plane’s power,” NASA wrote Digital Trends, Sunday (23/1).
Mars is the dustiest place in the solar system, with a combination of low gravity due to its small size and a thin atmosphere with lots of airflow due to changes in temperature. This means that dust can easily be lifted from the surface and cause regional, or even global, dust storms that researchers are just beginning to understand.
Dust storms cause two problems for explorers like InSight who rely on solar panels for their power. First, dust in the atmosphere filters out the already relatively weak sunlight on Mars, meaning less light reaches the surface.
Second, dust settles on the solar panels and blocks out more light. This is why dust storms have ended previous Mars explorations, such as Opportunity in 2018, and also why the team for the Mars Ingenuity helicopter chose to postpone its latest flight.
To keep spacecraft like InSight at bay, engineers put them in safe mode when they know a dust storm is approaching. This minimal mode shuts down all aircraft, except for the critical component for changing power. Earlier this month, the InSight team received a warning from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that a dust storm was on its way and they put the spacecraft into safe mode on January 7.
In an update on January 19, the InSight team confirmed that InSight has survived a nearly two-week hiatus and is starting up again after the storm has passed.
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