NASA’s InSight probe has detected three of the most powerful earthquakes to date, which could give scientists a clearer picture of the Red Planet’s interior.
outlook On Wednesday (September 22), NASA officials detected two earthquakes measuring 4.2 and 4.1 on August 25, then a magnitude 4.2 earthquake on September 18 that lasted about 90 minutes.
The previous record holder, measured by InSight in 2019, recorded a magnitude of 3.7 on the Richter scale — about five times more powerful than a magnitude 4.2 earthquake.
Mars InSight in the picture: NASA’s mission to explore the heart of the Red Planet
InSight (short for “exploration using seismic, geodetic, and thermal transport probes”) landed near the Martian equator in November 2018, tasked with examining the planet’s interior like never before.
The solar-powered lander’s main scientific instruments are a cored thermal probe and a set of ultra-sensitive seismometers. The mission team also uses InSight communications equipment to track its exact location Mars. This information reveals how much the planet is oscillating on its axis, shedding more light on its internal structure.
The hot researcher, nicknamed “Mole”, is closed early this year; He never managed to penetrate deep into Earth, tripping over Martian soil that was unexpectedly hard to dig. But seismometers are very productive, recording and marking hundreds too-too Until now.
This vibration analysis allowed the InSight team to map interior Mars in detail. For example, investigative observations reveal that the Red Planet contains Very large kernel And the crust is relatively thin.
Recently discovered earthquakes can help sharpen this picture. The InSight team is still studying the September 18 earthquake, but mission researchers are distinguishing the August 25 event. For example, they determined that the magnitude 4.2 earthquake originated about 5,280 miles (8,500 km) from Insight.
NASA officials said it was the farthest quake the probe had ever detected. Far beyond the region that has produced nearly all of the strong earthquakes detected so far by InSight – Cerberus Fossae, an area about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from the probe where lava may have flowed several million years ago.
The epicenter of the August 25 quake of magnitude 4.2 remains unclear.
“One of the most interesting possibilities is the Valles Marineris, an epic long valley system that destroys Mars’ equator,” a NASA official said. Posted in Wednesday’s update. “The estimated center of this valley system is 6,027 miles (9,700 km) from Insight.”
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake occurred on August 25 near the probe — about 575 miles (925 km) away. The vibrations were fast and high-frequency, NASA officials said, while the event 4.2 tremor occurred at a lower frequency.
“Even after more than two years, it looks like Mars has given us something new with these two earthquakes, which have unique characteristics,” said InSight principal investigator Bruce Banerdt, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, in an update Wednesday.
InSight and colleagues have overcome ordeal to make the recently reported discovery. A lot of dust has accumulated on the landing ship’s solar panels since landing, Significantly reduces its energy output. This problem has recently been exacerbated by Mars’ orbital path, which has moved it farther from the Sun. (The red planet reaches aphelion, its farthest point from our star, on July 12.)
So the expedition team temporarily turned off some of the tools to conserve energy—which the InSight heater needed more to handle the lower temperatures—and remove less dust. They did this by using the lander’s robotic arm to drip sand onto the InSight’s solar panels. When the Martian winds brush against these grains, they carry some dust.
Team members say these efforts allow InSight to maintain relatively stable energy levels through apogee.
“If we don’t move fast earlier this year, we may be missing out on some great science,” Banerdt said.
The InSight team is considering whether to perform additional dust removal. However, such activity would have to wait until after solar conjunction, which is the period when Mars is on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth. NASA is suspending communications with the Red Planet spacecraft during this time, as commands could be tampered with by solar interference.
The InSight team will stop piloting the investigation on September 29, likely for about two weeks. Stop piloting the Mars spaceship Ends October 14th, NASA officials said.
Mike Wall is the author of “OverseasBook (Great Grand Publishing House, 2018; illustrated by Carl Tate), a book about the search for extraterrestrials. Follow him on Twitter tweet embed. Follow us on Twitter tweet embed or Facebook.
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