The spacecraft InSight, sent by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Mars in May 2018, showed itself with its camera for the last time today to bid farewell to humanity. The spacecraft, which has made many contributions to the world of science during its 3.5-year mission, started its preparations for retirement.
NASA’s spacecraft sent a final selfie to Earth, showing its dust-covered solar panels and fuselage before retiring. The selfie the spacecraft took on April 24, on the 1211th Martian day, was shared by NASA as follows:
First and last selfies of the InSight spacecraft:
NASA’s InSight rover was able to store up to 5,000 watts of solar energy each day when it first landed on the Martian surface. However, with the vehicle covered with Martian soil, this number dropped to 500 watts per day. With this fall, even taking a selfie became an energy item for the spacecraft that required in-depth calculation. The spacecraft, which will retire as it loses its functionality, started to lower its arm and switch to the ‘retirement pose’ after sending this selfie.
What was the mission of the InSight spacecraft?
Launched from Earth on 5 May 2018 and landed on Mars on 26 November 2018, the InSight spacecraft is equipped to study the depths of Mars. The vehicle, produced by Lockheed Martin, has undertaken tasks such as measuring seismic activity on Mars, creating 3D models of the planet’s interior, and studying the geological evolution of the planet. The vehicle had recently come to the fore with the discovery made in the past weeks:
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