NASA Rescues Mars InSight Lander’s Heat Probe

NASA InSight's heat probe, or "mole," digs about half an inch below the surface (via NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NASA scientists have remotely set the InSight lander to rights.

Shortly after breaking ground on the surface of Mars in February, the robot’s drill with built-in head probe—also known as “the mole”—got stuck.

And it remained that way for months, unable to dig more than about 14 inches into the unexpectedly strong Martian soil.

The mole, designed to dig as deep as 16 feet, needs friction to move: Without it, recoil from the self-hammering action will cause it to simply bounce in place.

Like an endless bobblehead.

To remedy this, researchers discovered they could simulate the necessary friction by pressing InSight’s robotic arm against the probe.

Spoiler alert: It worked.

Since Oct. 8, the mole has hammered 220 times over three occasions; images captured by the spacecraft’s cameras highlight the robot’s gradual progress into the ground.

“It will take more time—and hammering—for the team to see how far the mole can go,” according to NASA.

Engineers will carry on testing what would happen if the instrument were to sink beneath the reach of InSight’s robotic arm. Limited options range from scraping soil on top of the mole to weigh it down, to pressing InSight’s arm directly on top of the device.

“The mole still has a way to go, but we’re all thrilled to see it digging again,” Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Troy Hudson, who led the recovery effort, said in a statement.

“When we first encountered this problem, it was crushing. But I thought, ‘Maybe there’s a chance; let’s keep pressing on,'” he continued. “And right now, I’m feeling giddy.”

The probe is part of the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3).

“Seeing the mole’s progress seems to indicate that there’s no rock blocking our path,” principal investigator Tilman Spohn of DLR added. “That’s great news. We’re rooting for our mole to keep going.”

More on Geek.com:

• MRO’s HiRISE Camera Spots NASA’s InSight and Curiosity on Mars
• Listen: NASA’s InSight ‘Hears’ More Marsquakes
• NASA’s InSight Lander Snaps Dreamy Sunrise, Sunset on Mars

from Geek.com https://ift.tt/2o9ciMK
via IFTTT