InSight regains energy after cleaning its solar panels
The SEIS experiment, part of NASA's Insight mission and operated and distributed by IPGP as part of the InSight National Observing Service (NOS), will run longer than expected when Mars is at its furthest from the Sun.
Publication date: 26/06/2021
General public, Observatories, Press, Research
Related observatories : InSight Observatory
Related themes : Earth and Planetary Interiors
The JPL team has succeeded in cleaning the solar panels, on which dust had accumulated since the landing 2 and a half years ago. By collecting Martian sand from the lander and sprinkling it near the solar panels during the windiest hour of the Martian day, the grains of sand carried away by the wind also washed away the fine dust that had accumulated in their path. The surplus energy recovered in this way will also be used to continue burying the SEIS seismometer cable, thereby improving the noise level of the experiment.
- See the NASA website for more information on cleaning the solar panels
- See The Conversation article on burying the cable
