New images of Mars from the InSight probe. You can see the Polish Crete on them
The InSight probe, which has been on Mars for almost two weeks, has confirmed the readiness of the robotic arm that will be used to deploy research instruments to the surface of the Red Planet. The lander also sent new images of the. Several of the pictures show a Polish-made device – the Mole HP3.
Robotic arm with a range of twoóch meterów is ready for operation. The arm will be used to stage the instrumentóin the science from aboard the lander to the surface of Mars. The operation will be carried out in the coming weeks.
First, cameras installed on the arm will take a series of photographs of the area around theólander so that mission controllers can determine the best place to position the instrumentóin research – an ultra-precise SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure) seismometer and a Polish-made próbnik heat – The so-called. Crete HP3 (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package).
– This is the first look at our workspace,” said Bruce Banerdt, head of theóThe mission’s chief scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. – We will be imaging it in more detail early next week – added.
In addition to the camera on the arm, the lander still has a camera mounted below deck. It will be róalso offer views of the working area, but not as nice as those taken from the arm of the. Although the cameras had protective covers, somehow dust got into the camera below deck.
– While this is unfortunate, it will not affect the role of the camera, która is to take pictures of the area in front of the lander, where our instruments will eventually be placed,” said Tom Hoffman of JPL, InSight project manager.
The images sent to Earth show the lander’s instruments and the Elysium Planitia space, where the probe landed. In the photo (the first below) taken with the camera on the elbow of the robotic arm, a seismometer can be seen in the center point. Right next to it, the black cylindrical shape is Mole HP3 designed and made by Polish engineersów with Astronika company, at coóhe cooperation with engineers from Poland’s leading centersóin science, m.in. Polish Academy of Sciences, the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Aviation the Institute of Welding, the Technical University of Łódzka and Warsaw University of Technology.
More photos can be seen on the NASA website.
PróThe bnik for measuring heat flux from the planet’s interior is one of the mission’s most important devices. It will be launched to a depth of 5 metersów into the Martian soil. Its task will be to study the history of Mars’ formation, study the changes that are taking place in the planet’s structure, temperature, study the planet’s core. Never before has any device penetrated the Martian surface to such a depth.
The deployment of the instrumentóin science is a key task, so the compositeół of NASA is proceeding extremely cautiously. It will still pass from dwóch up to three months before the first scientific data planned in the mission appear. Instruments previously need to be calibrated and tested.
– We have conducted extensive tests on Earth – admitted Hoffman. He added, however, that after the podróry and landing on Mars may have faults. – They are not unusual. They can somewhat opóźnić operations, but there is no rush. We want to make sure that every task thatóre we perform on Mars is safe – explained Hoffman.
Scientists have factored in additional time needed to implement the instrumentów. The mission is scheduled for two years. That’s plenty of time to collect planned data from the Red Planet.