Mars Inside Lander Sends Its Last Message, A Touching Tribute to the Opportunity Rover
It’s been four years since the Mars Inside Lander first touched down on the Red Planet. It is now on its last breath.
As clouds of dust and smoke continue to batter the planet’s surface, weakening the Inside lander’s solar-powered power bank, NASA declared the lander near its end in November, paving the way to explore the mysteries of Mars. A closer.
NASA Inside’s Twitter shared what might be its final message before signing off with a final image.
Equipped with a seismograph and a geological hammer, the robotic lander began its mission on Mars in November 2018 and has since been crucial to the study and understanding of the planet’s geology.
My power’s really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don’t worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will – but I’ll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me. pic.twitter.com/wkYKww15kQ
— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) December 19, 2022
Conducted several geological excavations that measured 1,300 seismic events and revealed details of Mars’ interior layers and its liquid core; The InSight spacecraft has been invaluable in geological studies of Mars.
Like InSight, the Mars Opportunity rover, fondly remembered as “Obby,” lost contact with NASA following a dust storm and sent one last message before entering total hibernation.
NASA has now disabled all external instruments to conserve the lander’s dwindling power supply as much as possible. If InSight misses two consecutive communication sessions with the spacecraft orbiting Mars, NASA will declare the mission complete.
Farewell Insight. Well done.
