NASA’s InSight robot on Mars enters safe mode after being hit by a storm

Mars is hostile territory, and NASA’s InSight lander is suffering the consequences. A regional dust storm has reduced the sunlight your solar panels receive, so the spacecraft has entered safe mode and has temporarily suspended the collection of scientific data.

The InSight, whose main mission is to study the inner “pulse” of the red planet, is “anchored” to the surface and does not have many options but to resist this class of dust storms. Let us remember that Extreme weather events on Mars have already put missions idle like NASA’s Opportunity.

In safe mode, hoping to “come back to life”

According NASA explains, Martian dust has accumulated on InSight’s solar panels over the years. During 2021, the team on Earth devised an ingenious way to lclean the solar panels using the robotic arm of the lander, but these activities get more and more complicated.

On January 7, after a major dust storm, the sunlight reaching the panels was drastically reduced, which forced the InSight into safe mode, leaving only its essential systems active, which include sending data from its state to Earth.

NASA Engineers They are confident that the lander will be operational again next week. To do this, they must order you to exit safely and resume your scientific operations. However, it should be noted that the ship is active thanks to the energy stored in its batteries.

How are storms detected on Mars?

The US space agency explains that the last dust storm was detected by the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This system creates daily color maps of the planet that allow you to monitor storms and provide early warnings.

Now, when a storm occurs, it can affect solar panels in two ways: reducing the filtration of sunlight through the atmosphere or also accumulating. The good news is that the InSight team says the local storm is wearing off. Once this event is over, they will need to determine if it will leave an additional layer of dust on the solar panels.

InSight landed on Mars on November 26, 2018 to study the internal structure of the planet, including its crust, mantle, and core. The spacecraft should have completed its main mission a year ago, but NASA decided to extend it until November 2022.

Images | NASA (1 Y 2)