Impact: Meteorite caused Marquake – science.ORF.at

Mars probe “insight”, which landed on an Earth-like planet in 2018, noticed a strong tremor on December 24, 2021. Using the built-in seismometer, the probe recorded tremors similar to the magnitude of 4 on Earth. However, this earthquake came from a meteorite can only be depicted by NASA’s space probe “Mars Reconnaissance Vehicle” (MRO) Confirmation. This discovered a new crater independently of the landing probe when it flew over the impact site about 24 hours later.

According to the research team, the crater, which is 150 meters wide and about 21 meters deep, was close to the equator of Mars. The collision also revealed pieces of ice. So it is assumed that the meteorite revealed a layer of ice that was previously covered with the surface of Mars, according to the report, now published in the specialized journal “Science”. study.

Useful ice cream

She appeared amazed by the ice recordings Ingrid Dubard of Brown University, who leads the impact research group InSight. “This is the warmest place on Mars and closest to the equator where we have ever found ice,” she said at a press conference. This proximity of underground ice to the equator could be a huge advantage for future manned missions to Mars – because it could be used for human exploitation.

“We want to land the astronauts as close to the equator as possible,” he said. Laurie Glaze, chief of planetary research at NASA. This is important to take advantage of the warmer temperatures prevailing there. “This ice can be converted into water, oxygen or hydrogen.”

Previous Effects

According to the German Aerospace Center Associated (DLR) A similar swamp occurred in September 2021. This corresponds to a crater about 100 meters wide.

According to the DLR, the two events provide deeper insights into crater formation processes. Since the December 2021 impact has been recorded both photographically and seismically, it is possible to calculate the path that the seismic waves passed through Mars. In this way, more can be learned about the characteristics of the rocks along this path on the planetary crust. Analyzing meteor impacts helps to better understand the interior of Mars.