Marsquake! NASA's InSight Lander Detects First Seismic Activity on the Red Planet
The InSight is the first spacecraft designed to study more about the deep interiors of Mars and it is a two-year long seismological mission.
A NASA probe has detected the first of its kind seismic activity on the red planet Mars. The InSight landers detected what is being called Marsquake. The InSight lander had deployed the first seismometer instrument on the surface of the red planet in December last year. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California recorded a tremor on Mars and it is a breakthrough for the team of scientists designed to study the surface of the red planet. NASA's InSight Sends First Selfie After Landing on Mars (See Photo).
The InSight is the first spacecraft designed to study more about the deep interiors of Mars and it is a two-year long seismological mission. A faint rumble was detected by the probe sensor's on April 6, to be precise on the 128th Martian day of the mission. According to scientists, the source of 'Marsquake' could be due to a meteoric impact or some crack inside the planet. The InSight lander probe aims to identify various quakes and analyse the picture of Mars' interior structure. NASA's InSight will Decode How Mountains Formed on Mars.
Check NASA InSight's Tweet About Marsquake:
According to scientists, the rumble on Mars is similar to what was gathered by Apollo on the lunar surface. And compared to the earthquakes, it was very quiet. Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator said, "We’ve been collecting background noise up until now, but this first event officially kicks off a new field: Martian seismology." This mission will run for two Earth years, which is a little more than one Martian year.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2019 09:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).