Published 23:11 IST, October 2nd 2019
NASA's InSight Lander hears multiple 'Marsquakes' on the red planet
On Tuesday, the American space agency's InSight lander has 'heard' several vibrations on Mars, as shared by NASA. The first Marsquake was heard in April 2019
NASA's dream of colonising the red planet has inched closer to reality. On Tuesday, the American space agency's InSight lander has 'heard' several vibrations on Mars, as shared by NASA. InSight lander's sensitive seismometer - Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) has picked up 100 events to date. Of these 100 events, 21 are strongly suspected to be 'Marsquakes', according to NASA.
NASA detects multiple 'Marsquakes'
What did InSight Lander hear?
Explaining the waves picked by SEIS, NASA had the shared the first 'Marsquake' captured in April. Following this, SEIS has picked up two more 'Marsquake on May 22, 2019, and July 25, 2019. While both sounds were far below the human range of hearing, both were recorded by the "very broadband sensors" on SEIS, which are more sensitive at lower frequencies than its short period sensors, as shared by NASA. NASA states the Sol 173 quake is about a magnitude 3.7; the Sol 235 quake is about a magnitude 3.3.
NASA detects first Marsquake
Earlier in April, the InSight probe which landed on Mars in November 2018, first picked up a faint rumble on April 6, 2019, which marks the 128th Martian day or sol, of the mission. This is the first seismic signal detected on any planetary surface apart from the Earth and its moon. Scientists had speculated the source of the 'Marsquake' could be due to a crack inside the red planet or the vibrations due to a meteorite impact. Scientists who have studied the rumble recorded by the InSight probe reported that the signals remind them very much of the type of data the Apollo sensors gathered on the lunar surface.
What does NASA's InSight Lander do?
The InSight lander was launched by NASA to identify multiple quakes on Mars, which would present a clearer understanding of the planet's interior rock structure. The results can then be compared with Earth's internal rock layers to learn the similarities and differences in which these two planets have evolved over time. The probe's mission is scheduled to last more than two earth years. Seismograph experts hope that by that time, InSight should record another dozen or so seismic signals in the initial operating period.
Updated 23:18 IST, October 2nd 2019