NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) recently imaged NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) lander, which has been dormant on the Martian surface for two years. The new imagery highlights movements in Martian surface dust around InSight, providing planetary scientists with more information on Mars’s climate and atmospheric qualities.
On Nov. 26, 2018, InSight landed on Mars in the Elysium Planitia region after a seven-month journey through the solar system. Upon landing, its mission began, with the lander’s main goals being to measure Martian seismic activity, provide accurate models of Mars’ internal heat transfer, and accurately model the interior of Mars. After four years of measurements and ground-breaking discoveries, InSight had accumulated too much dust on its solar panels, resulting in low power levels and, ultimately, the end of the mission.