NASA is saying goodbye to the Mars InSight lander as it celebrates the first robotic seismologist on the red planet.
The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport lander, or InSight, had been waiting on a dust devil to blow off Martian dirt from its solar panels, allowing just a glimpse of sunlight to come through. Insight's power has been declining since this summer as more Martian dust build up reduced sunlight, the lander's primary power source.
Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California say Insight's solar-powered batteries are "dead bus" or out of power. The last "selfie" taken by InSight in May showed its two 7-foot panels covered in rust-colored powder.
"InSight has more than lived up to its name. As a scientist who’s spent a career studying Mars, it’s been a thrill to see what the lander has achieved, thanks to an entire team of people across the globe who helped make this mission a success," NASA JPL Director Laurie Leshin said. "Yes, it’s sad to say goodbye, but InSight’s legacy will live on, informing and inspiring."
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