NASA Finally Shuts Off InSight Mars Lander Mission

Photo Credit: NASA

After four years of landing on Mars, NASA has officially called off InSight lander’s mission on the Red Planet. The space agency made the declaration on December 21, after it failed to contact the lander across two consecutive attempts.

It lead the mission team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) to conclude that the lander’s solar-powered batteries had run out of juice, a state called “dead bus.” InSight had been losing power over time due to dust build-up over its solar panels.

Recently, the space agency posted the final message from InSight alongside an image clicked by the lander. The image shows InSight’s wind and thermal shield that protected some of its science instruments.

Uncovering Red Planet’s Interior Layers

During its four-year stint on Mars, InSight unraveled details about the planet’s interior layers, its liquid core, and the martian weather. It also became the first lander to detect seismic activity on another planet and recorded a marsquake caused due to a meteor strike.

“I watched the launch and landing of this mission, and while saying goodbye to a spacecraft is always sad, the fascinating science InSight conducted is cause for celebration. The seismic data alone from this Discovery Program mission offers tremendous insights not just into Mars but other rocky bodies, including Earth,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

InSight’s principal investigator, Bruce Banerdt commented, “We’ve thought of InSight as our friend and colleague on Mars for the past four years, so it’s hard to say goodbye. But it has earned its richly deserved retirement.”

InSight’s Final Message

InSight’s official account tweeted: “My power’s really low, so this may be the last image I can send,” InSight’s tweet read. “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.”

Previously, the space agency confirmed that the lander’s mission would be called off if it misses two consecutive communication sessions with the spacecraft orbiting Mars. Post that, NASA said its Deep Space Network would keep listening for a while, just in case.