Critical Hours for NASA Insight

NASA's $ 800 million lander, InSight, is going through critical hours and now has a serious energy problem that, if left unresolved, could mean the end of the lander on the surface of Mars. In recent months, Insight has been fighting for its "life" as the unpredictable weather of the Red Planet threatens to destroy it.

InSight landed in the Elysium Planitia area in 2018 and has since detected more than 500 earthquakes and 10,000 dust tornadoes. But unlike other NASA landers and rovers, the Insight is not located in an area with strong winds. Such winds are necessary for NASA robots, as they clean them from the fine Martian dust that settles on their surfaces.

The amount of energy that will be available in the coming months will depend on the weather. We hope that we will be able to put it back into operation, especially if it is not turned off for a long time. But everything has a risk. - Bruce Banerdt, Head of InSight