On January 7, NASA had to put the InSight lander into safe mode after a severe dust storm that significantly reduced the amount of sunlight. In this mode of operation of the device, all functions are suspended, except for the main ones. On January 10, contact with the probe was restored, the energy supply is sufficient, and its power is stable. The mission team believes that the module is not threatened by the complete discharge of the battery, which caused the death of the Opportunity rover during a prolonged dust storm in 2018.
Even before the dust storm reached InSight, dust began to accumulate on its solar panels, which reduced the power supply to the device. Using a bucket on a robotic arm, scientists came up with a way to reduce the amount of dust on one panel, and it turned out to be effective. However, these actions become more and more complex as the energy decreases.
Dust storms on Mars can affect the probe’s power supply in two ways: dust reduces filtering of sunlight through the atmosphere and accumulates on solar panels.
Ultimately, the InSight team has yet to figure out how bad the storm will be this time around. It was discovered by the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a Mars reconnaissance satellite that maps the entire surface of the planet daily. Whirlwinds and gusts of dust storms can over time clean up solar panels, as was the case with the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. In the case of InSight, none of them were able to remove the dust, so they put it into hibernation.
NASA engineers hope they can take the module out of safe mode next week. This will allow access to all the functions of the device, while now communication with it is very limited.
InSight arrived on Mars on November 26, 2018 to study the inner structure of the planet, including the crust, mantle and core. The apparatus completed its tasks even before its main mission was completed. However, based on the recommendations of an independent expert group, NASA extended the mission until December 2022.
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