洞察号的最后自拍

2022年11月4日

InSight’s Final Selfie
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Mars InSight

Explanation: The Mars InSight lander returned its first image from the Red Planet’s flat, equatorial Elysium Planitia after a successful touchdown on November 26, 2018. The history making mission to explore the martian Interior using Seismic investigations, geodesy, and heat transport has been operating for over 1,400 martian days or sols. In that time the InSight mission has detected more than 1,300 marsquakes and recorded data from Mars-shaking meteoroid impacts, observing how the seismic waves travel to provide a glimpse inside Mars. Analyzing the archive of data collected is expected to yield discoveries for decades. But InSight’s final operational sol is likely not far off. The reason is evident in this selfie recorded earlier this year showing its deck and large, 2-meter-wide solar panels covered with dust. Kicked up by martian winds the dust continues to accumulate and drastically reduce the power that can be generated by InSight’s solar panels.

Tomorrow’s picture: light-weekend

洞察号的最后自拍
图像提供: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Mars InSight

说明: 火星洞察号的着陆器在2018年11月26日成功着陆之后，从火星平坦的埃律西昂平原回传了首张图像。这个已持续了超过1,400火星日的历史性任务，以震波学、大地测量学和热传输等方法，进行火星内部结构的探索。在此期间，洞察号任务侦测到1,300多次的火星震，更记录了流星体撞击所造成的火星震事件，并经由观察震波如何传播，得以一窥火星的内部。分析所收集的数据数据库，预期在几十年内都会有新发现产生。然而，洞察号结束运转的火星日子可能并不远了。在摄于今年稍早的自拍照里理由清楚可见，因为其中的甲板和宽2公尺的大型太阳能板都覆盖着灰尘。由火星风所扬起的火星尘肯定会继续堆积，行将大幅降低洞察号太阳能板的产能功率。

明日的图片: light-weekend