Continental-Scale Sandstorm... Is the 'Mars Geologist' Lifespan Ending Soon? [Reading Science]

US NASA Halts Operations for 2 Weeks Due to Sharp Drop in Power Output
Emergency Measures Including Seismometer Shutdown
"If Another Sandstorm Hits, Lifespan May Be Shortened"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A massive sandstorm on Mars has once again put NASA's Mars lander InSight at risk of shutting down. As the sand covering the solar panels thickened, reducing power generation, NASA's operations team is struggling to restore functionality.

According to NASA on the 8th (local time), a sandstorm the size of a continent began blowing in the southern hemisphere of Mars, where InSight is located, starting from the 21st of last month. Initially, it had little effect as it was 3,500 km away from InSight. However, upon re-examination on the 3rd, it was confirmed that the sand height around InSight had increased by nearly 40% due to the sandstorm.

Mars storms do not have the destructive power of Earth's typhoons or hurricanes due to the thin atmosphere. However, winds close to 100 km/h lift sand and dust high into the atmosphere, which then slowly settle, affecting a wide area. In 2018, a single storm was observed to cover the entire planet with sand and dust.

A sandstorm on Mars captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Photo by NASA.

Most importantly, the thickness of the sand accumulated on InSight's solar panels has increased, causing a sharp decline in power generation. Based on a Martian day, power output dropped from 425W per hour to 275W, nearly halving. The expected lifespan of the seismometer, the only instrument still operating on InSight, is also expected to shorten drastically. NASA predicts that if power generation continues at this rate, the seismometer will cease operation within weeks.

To maximize InSight's operational time, NASA has decided not to operate the seismometer for the next two weeks. Due to power issues caused by dust accumulation on the solar panels, the mission was already expected to end between the end of this month and January next year. Fortunately, measurements from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) indicate that the sandstorm is not growing larger and shows signs of subsiding.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory researcher Chuck Scott said, "InSight's power level has now reached rock bottom, with the last remaining reserve gone. If it can withstand this sandstorm, it may operate until winter, but another sandstorm could be approaching," expressing concern.

InSight landed on November 26, 2018, near the Martian equator on the Elysium Planitia. Equipped with a robotic arm for drilling and terrain surveying, a seismometer, a heat flow sensor, and a spin rate measurement antenna, it was launched to explore Mars' internal structure and composition. Fixed in one place without wheels, it has been conducting subsurface exploration. However, it has faced difficulties as the drilling equipment failed to penetrate the ground properly, reaching only about 6 cm instead of the target depth of 3 meters. NASA scientists initially predicted that Elysium Planitia would have little wind and therefore did not equip the solar panels with sand removal devices.