NASA’s InSight Lander Accomplishes Science Goals on Mars as Power Levels Diminish
NASA’s InSight lander touched down in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars in November of 2018. During its time on the Red Planet, InSight has achieved all its primary science goals and continues to hunt for quakes on Mars.
The mission is the first to reveal the interior structure of Mars, using marsquakes to study the layers inside the planet. InSight’s seismometer was the first to detect a quake on another planet. InSight also measured weather at Elysium Planitia for four years with a unique set of meteorological sensors.
InSight has also persisted through adversity. The team found innovative ways to take on engineering challenges they encountered. InSight’s findings help scientists understand how all rocky worlds, including Earth and its Moon, formed.
For more information on InSight, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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AIRS: NASA Advances Our Understanding of Earth’s Climate
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite has been scanning Earth for 20 years and now has a long enough record to help support climate change research. AIRS data on Earth’s atmosphere are improving weather forecasts and advancing our understanding of Earth’s climate.
AIRS' infrared technology creates 3D maps of air and surface temperature, water vapor, and cloud properties. The infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum is rich in information about gases, especially greenhouse gases such as ozone and carbon dioxide. The advantage of having such an instrument in orbit is the availability of rapid global coverage. AIRS data form a 'fingerprint' of the state of the atmosphere for a given time and place, contributing to climate data for future generations
NASA's Aqua satellite, with AIRS onboard, launched into Earth orbit on May 4, 2002.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GRL/NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio/NASA Earth Observatory
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