The robotic InSight spacecraft, designed to study Mars, resumes drilling operations. This is reported by the RIA Novosti online publication, referring to information disseminated by the German Aviation and Cosmonautics Center (DLR).
Recall that the InSight probe arrived on the Red Planet at the end of November last year. This is a stationary device for which the possibility of movement is not provided.
The objectives of the mission are to study the internal structure of Mars and the study of the processes occurring in the thickness of the soil of the Red Planet. The seismometer SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure) and the device HP (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Probe) are designed for this. The second of these devices, developed by DLR specialists, is designed to measure the heat flow under the surface of Mars. For the functioning of the HP system, drilling of a well is required.
The InSight probe started drilling operations more than two months ago. However, in the process of deepening into the Martian soil, the device ran into an obstacle and automatically .
At first, it was suggested that the drill rested on a stone. But there is also a possibility that the "drill" got into a layer of dense soil.
One way or another, now specialists are starting the so-called βdiagnostic drillingβ operations. They will help you develop a strategy for moving forward.
Source: 3dnews.ru