marsquakes

The first and only spacecraft to study quakes on Mars is about to die. A recent Martian storm blanketed the solar panels of NASA’s InSight lander with dust, blocking much of the sunlight it needs to charge its batteries. Mission controllers are now running its seismometer intermittently to conserve energy. In weeks, the spacecraft will probably stop responding to commands from Earth and slide into oblivion. But InSight isn’t going out without a bang. On 27 October, scientists reported that last year, the mission detected…

As it slowly dies, NASA’s InSight Mars lander has made two major new discoveries recently. By sensing seismic activity from the Red Planet, the craft has now detected a large meteorite impact, and found evidence of magma pools and volcanic activity still occurring today.There’s plenty of evidence to indicate that Mars used to be very volcanically active. It’s home to Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system standing almost three times taller than Mount Everest. And meteorites have suggested that somewhere on…

Animation showing an artist’s rendition of Mars’ interior structure. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech<span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>NASA</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Established in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the civilian space…

The next commercial crew test mission to the space station …Outlining the agency’s objectives for deep space exploration ….And covering the total lunar eclipse on Earth and from space … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>NASA</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Established in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the…

Scientists have published a new study revealing the largest marsquakes ever recorded. Like Earth, Mars can experience massive seismic events which can cause the surface of the Red Planet to shift. These events are known as ‘marsquakes’. ETH Zurich, a public research university in Switzerland, says marsquakes occur when the soil on Mars is “subjected to an accumulation of stress so strong there is fracturing of the rock structure.” Now, a new study breaks down the largest marsquakes we’ve recorded, both of which…

NASA’s InSight lander has recorded the two strongest quakes detected so far on Mars, with both measuring over magnitude 4. These seismic events rolled in from the far side of the Red Planet, and one also clocked the record for longest marsquake.InSight’s instruments have detected over 950 Martian seismic events since the first was recorded in April 2019, giving scientists an unprecedented look at the planet’s interior, from crust to core. But the new detections mark several firsts in the program.An event designated S0976a…

Two of the biggest earthquakes have been detected by a seismometer placed by NASA's InSight lander on Mars. These earthquakes reported a magnitude of 4.2 and magnitude 4.1. According to data available, both these earthquakes were five times more stronger than the largest earthquakes on Mars or Marsquakes detected.  Compared to the rest of the seismic activity detected by InSight, the two new quakes are true outliers, the researchers said. “Not only are they the…

A seismometer placed by NASA's InSight lander on Mars has detected the two biggest marsquakes to date. According to a new study, the seismic events were of magnitude 4.2 and magnitude 4.1. Both these quakes were five times stronger than the previous largest seismic event recorded. Researchers now hope to learn more about the interior layers of Mars after studying the seismic data of these two events. Mars has been of vital interest as scientists plan to colonise the planet. And these events could give insights into…