Subsurface ice, young craters and more: Remarkable new discoveries made by NASA’s InSight spacecraft as it prepares to say goodbye
The HinduMars InSight lander, National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s spacecraft, is nearing its end. On December 24, 2021, the spacecraft had detected a magnitude 4 marsquake on the red planet, and almost a year later, the scientists have figured out the cause for the quake – a meteoroid strike, “estimated to be one of the biggest seen on Mars since NASA began exploring the cosmos”. Scientists used before-and-after images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and spotted a new young crater, which eventually led them to determine that the quake was caused due to the impact from a meteoroid. A thin atmosphere on Mars also contributed to the large impact – similar meteors might have burned in earth’s atmosphere. From the Science Pages A new target found to combat AMR Salmonella Effects of neural precursor cells’ abnormal migration Banana, the highly nutritious fruit Question corner Do fragments of endogenous retroviruses exist in human genome too?
History of this topic
NASA's InSight lander reveals details on outermost layer of Mars
Hindustan Times
Two NASA spacecraft detect biggest meteor strikes at Mars
LA Times
What clues do the newly formed craters on Mars reveal?
The Hindu
NASA’s Mars InSight lander captures vibrations of strikes by 4 incoming space rocks
LA Times
ESA posts incredible pictures of ice-rich impact crater on Mars; check details here
Firstpost
Nasa finds second massive meteorite crater underneath Greenland ice
The Independent
News from Mars: A mile-deep ice crater and marsquakes
CNN
Erosion is revealing surprising amounts of water ice on Mars
LA Times
Global warming scarred Mars' surface after warm periods that lasted 10 MILLION years
Daily Mail
Mystery of the double-ringed craters of Mars solved: Scientists say formations were created by ice sheets that were TENS of metres thick
Daily Mail
Water on (shakes Magic 8 ball) Mars this time
SlateDiscover Related