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Published 18:58 IST, March 20th 2020

NASA fixes Mars InSight lander by making it hit itself with shovel

NASA does jugaad on Mars to help lander dig a hole by commanding one of its robotic arms to push the 'mole' with a shovel. NASA announced the news on Twitter.

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
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Indians are known for fixing problems with jugaad, be it making the TV remote work by tapping on its back or shutting down the entire system to fix a small bug. However, this time it's the National Aeronautics Space Agency (NASA) who has taken the idea of jugaad seriously to fix a problem on one of its probes on the Red Planet, Mars. 

Read: NASA Suspends Work On Manned Moon Mission Due To Coronavirus Outbreak

NASA's Jugaad

NASA took to its official Twitter handle to share the news about the recent fix. NASA announced that it used a shovel to push the mole which had stopped working. NASA explained the problem in a statement issued by the space agency on February 21. The statement read, "The InSight team is now trying a new technique to help the mole. They’re trying to use the scoop on the end of its robotic arm to press on the top of the mole, also called its back cap."

Read: NASA Cut Off From Voyager-2 Till 2021 As Only Antenna Capable Of Contact Undergoes Repairs

"After nearly a year of trying to dig into the Martian surface, the heat probe belonging to NASA's InSight lander is about to get a push. The mission team plans to command the scoop on InSight's robotic arm to press down on the "mole," the mini pile driver designed to hammer itself as much as 16 feet (5 meters) down. They hope that pushing down on the mole's top, also called the back cap, will keep it from backing out of its hole on Mars, as it did twice in recent months after nearly burying itself," NASA informed in the statement. 

Read: NASA On A Look-out For Astronauts For A New Team After 4 Years; Interested? Check Details

Read: NASA Video Shows Moon's 'stunning' View From The Perspective Of Apollo 13's Astronauts
 

19:08 IST, March 20th 2020