NASA is ending the InSight Mars Lander mission after more than four years of gathering information on Mars. The controllers were unable to contact the lander and concluded that its solar panels were completely discharged. This was due to the accumulation of dust on the batteries. InSight last contacted Earth on December 15th. NASA will continue to try to get a signal from the lander, but it is unlikely that this will succeed.
Over its lifetime, InSight has sent back to Earth a wealth of data about the geology of Mars, including the speed and intensity of earthquakes. The last device operating on the module was a high-precision seismometer. For the entire duration of the mission, he discovered 1319 earthquakes on Mars, including those caused by meteorite impacts. On December 15, the module made contact for the last time.
“I'm very low on energy, so this might be the last picture I sent. Don't worry, my time here has been productive and relaxing," reads the latest post on the module's Twitter page. The photo above is his last selfie.
“We considered InSight our friend and colleague who has been working on Mars for the past four years, so it's hard for us to say goodbye. But he went to a well-deserved retirement,” said project leader Bruce Banerdt.