ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

NASA’s InSight rover is running out of battery charge on Mars, and may need to hibernate through winter

That's the best case scenario. We're faced with a very real possibility that the craft shuts down completely.

Alexandru MicubyAlexandru Micu
April 16, 2021
in Science
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

NASA’s latest Mars lander, the InSight rover, has run into trouble recharging its batteries on the red planet.

A 3D model of the InSight lander, meant to look like Lego blocks. Image credits Sunder_59 / Flickr.

Although powered by solar energy, and thus able to recharge anywhere the sun shines, InSight is quickly running out of spark. The issue, according to NASA, is that the craft’s solar panels have been covered in dust, drastically reducing their effectiveness. Ground control relies on strong local winds to clean the panels of craft sent to Mars, but so far, these have not made an appearance.

Running low

“The amount of power available over the next few months will really be driven by the weather,” said Chuck Scott of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, InSight’s project manager.

The rover is currently on battery-saver mode in an effort to prevent it from running completely out of power, says Business Insider.

InSight is powered by a two-meter long solar panel, which should, in theory, make it completely self-sustaining anywhere on Mars. Still, right now, the craft is completely self-sustaining nowhere on Mars, as its solar panels are caked in thick layers of wind-borne dust, dramatically eating into their effectiveness.

If the recent lack of any meaningful winds on the Elysium Planitia (where the rover made touch-down) continues, there is a real chance InSight will run out of power completely, and shut down. NASA relies on strong gusts of wind to remove dust from solar panels, so much so that they’re known as “cleaning events”.

Whether this comes down to bad luck in the form of unusual weather patterns, or poor planning in the sense that Elysium Planitia just doesn’t get very windy and we didn’t know that, InSight has gathered quite the thick layer of dust. It’s currently only getting around 27% output from its solar panels. Although everything is in working order with the craft, and it can still manage enough power to use its moving arm, it is at a very real risk of suffering a total power failure. At that point, once its batteries die, so will the rover.

NASA has been turning off different non-essential systems and instruments on InSight in order to conserve power, and will soon instruct the craft to enter hibernation mode. If that is done, InSight will be stuck in place and will most likely have to await the coming of Martian spring, in July 2021, before it’s able to get its batteries’ full.

RelatedPosts

Cells nudge each other with proteins when moving to keep your body in one piece
Hot pavement can cause second-degree burns within seconds
Beetle larvae devour amphibian predators – twist of odds in nature
LED street lights may be decimating insect populations

“We would be hopeful that we’d be able to bring it back to life, especially if it’s not asleep or dead for a long period of time,” Bruce Banerdt, InSight’s principal investigator, told Insider. “But that would be a dicey situation.”

“As part of our extended-mission planning, we developed an operations strategy to keep InSight safe through the winter so that we can resume science operations as solar intensity increases”.

ShareTweetShare
Alexandru Micu

Alexandru Micu

Stunningly charming pun connoisseur, I have been fascinated by the world around me since I first laid eyes on it. Always curious, I'm just having a little fun with some very serious science.

Related Posts

News

A London Dentist Just Cracked a Geometric Code in Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man

byTibi Puiu
15 minutes ago
Environmental Issues

Glass bottles shed up to 50 times more microplastics into drinks than plastic or cans — and the paint on the cap may be to blame

byTudor Tarita
18 minutes ago
Archaeology

The Story Behind This Female Pharaoh’s Broken Statues Is Way Weirder Than We Thought

byTudor Tarita
1 hour ago
Future

China Resurrected an Abandoned Soviet ‘Sea Monster’ That’s Part Airplane, Part Hovercraft

byTibi Puiu
19 hours ago

Recent news

A London Dentist Just Cracked a Geometric Code in Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man

July 1, 2025

Glass bottles shed up to 50 times more microplastics into drinks than plastic or cans — and the paint on the cap may be to blame

July 1, 2025

The Story Behind This Female Pharaoh’s Broken Statues Is Way Weirder Than We Thought

July 1, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.