NASA InSight Mars Lander's Last Dusty Selfie
On December 21, 2022, NASA’s InSight mission ended after more than four years of collecting unique science on Mars. Mission controllers at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California were unable to contact the lander after two consecutive attempts, leading them to conclude the spacecraft’s solar-powered batteries have run out of energy – a state engineers refer to as “dead bus.” The last time InSight communicated with Earth was December 15.
This is the final selfie taken by the InSight Mars lander on April 24, 2022, the 1,211th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The lander is covered with far more dust than it was in its first selfie, taken in December 2018.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Image Number: PIA25287
Date: April 24, 2022
NASA InSight Mars Lander's Last Dusty Selfie
On December 21, 2022, NASA’s InSight mission ended after more than four years of collecting unique science on Mars. Mission controllers at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California were unable to contact the lander after two consecutive attempts, leading them to conclude the spacecraft’s solar-powered batteries have run out of energy – a state engineers refer to as “dead bus.” The last time InSight communicated with Earth was December 15.
This is the final selfie taken by the InSight Mars lander on April 24, 2022, the 1,211th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The lander is covered with far more dust than it was in its first selfie, taken in December 2018.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Image Number: PIA25287
Date: April 24, 2022