NASA Probe Vision: The strongest earthquake to date lasted 10 hours

NASA’s Insight probe recorded the strongest March earthquake in May, with a magnitude of 4.7 on the logarithmic scale, five times stronger than the previous record holder of 4.2. Also, the May 4 earthquake lasted about 10 hours, while none of the previously monitored earthquakes lasted even 1 hour. All of this has now been published by the research team evaluating the data collected. Before the expected end of the Insight mission, it will be enriched with another highlight.

Special discovery at the end of the mission

Marsquake, designated S1222a, was so powerful that it was able to observe properties not seen before, write the team led by Taichi Kawamura of the University of Paris Cité. For the first time, waves have been observed over the entire surface of the Red Planet many times. Moreover, both higher and lower frequencies were recorded with the vibrations, so far mostly one or the other was measured. However, it is likely that there were both of them in all of the swamps and it was not possible to see them until now. Again, the epicenter was not in a region called Cerberus Fossae (the Kerberos Graves) where almost all Martian earthquakes originate.

While the research team The discovery is presented in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, Insight continues to run out of steam. Another generation of dusty solar panels On average about 285 watt-hours per sol Thus there was approximately 410 watts at the end of October, in June. “About” 300 watt-hours per sol is required for the rover’s overall functionality. Dust that collects on solar panels is responsible for the drop. It is not clear when the probe will have to stop operating completely. It was decided in the summer that Insight should collect scientific measurement data for as long as possible, even if that means the mission might finish early. Contrary to expectations, it currently looks as if the probe will still hit the (ground) turn of the year.

(mo)