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| NASA’s retired InSight Mars lander, seen at the center of this image, was captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera on Oct. 23, 2024. |
New images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) offer a final glimpse of the agency’s retired InSight lander, showcasing how dust is accumulating on the spacecraft’s solar panels over time. Captured on October 23 by MRO’s High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, the new images reveal the lander’s panels now share the same reddish-brown hue as the Martian surface, a visual sign of the dust buildup.
InSight, which landed on Mars in November 2018, made history by being the first mission to detect marsquakes — seismic activity from within the planet, providing unprecedented data on Mars’ internal structure, including its crust, mantle, and core. During its four-year active mission, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California used MRO images to track dust accumulation on InSight’s solar panels, which significantly impacted its power generation. As dust settled on the lander, it hindered the efficiency of its solar arrays, reducing its ability to recharge its batteries.
NASA officially retired InSight in December 2022 after the spacecraft lost power and ceased communication. Despite efforts to detect wind-blown dust clearing the panels enough for recharging, no signals have been received from the lander in the last two years. As a result, NASA plans to stop listening for InSight’s radio signals at the end of this year.
The recent HiRISE image was captured as a way to say farewell to InSight and monitor the evolution of its landing site. “Even though we’re no longer hearing from InSight, it’s still teaching us about Mars,” said science team member Ingrid Daubar from Brown University. “By studying how dust accumulates and is removed by winds and dust devils, we gain insights into Mars’ wind patterns, dust cycles, and other planetary processes.”
Dust Devils, Craters, and Mars’ Evolving Landscape.
Dust plays a key role in shaping both the Martian atmosphere and landscape. As wind stirs up the fine, red dust, it creates dust devils — swirling whirlwinds that leave tracks across the surface. When InSight was operational, its onboard sensors recorded the seasonal patterns of these dust devils, which were most active during Mars’ summer months and nearly dormant in winter. Studying the dust cycle is crucial for future missions, especially those relying on solar power, as dust can obstruct solar panels and clog mechanical systems.
InSight’s observations also contributed to the study of Martian craters. The more craters a region has, the older the surface is, as Mars lacks the geological activity of Earth to recycle its surface. The dust that accumulates over time erases the sharp features of these craters, providing valuable data on their age and the rate at which dust covers the surface.
Interestingly, scientists also studied the blast marks left by InSight’s landing thrusters. These dark rings, visible in 2018, have now faded to match the red-brown color of the surrounding terrain due to the constant deposition of Martian dust. This natural process helps researchers estimate how quickly the Martian landscape is changing.
The HiRISE camera has captured countless images of other NASA missions, including the active Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, as well as images of retired missions like Spirit, Opportunity, and Phoenix. HiRISE continues to be a key tool in understanding Mars’ dynamic environment.
A Legacy of Discovery.
Reflecting on the InSight mission’s success, Daubar shared, “It’s a little bittersweet to look at InSight now. It was a successful mission that delivered valuable science, and while we knew it wouldn’t last forever, it would have been nice if it did.”
InSight’s mission was part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Built by Lockheed Martin Space, the InSight spacecraft was a collaborative effort with international partners. France’s CNES contributed the SEIS seismic instrument, while Germany’s DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3). Spain’s Centro de Astrobiología supplied the temperature and wind sensors, and many other organizations worldwide contributed to the mission’s success.
Although InSight is no longer operational, its legacy lives on through the data it gathered, continuing to shape our understanding of Mars long after its retirement.