NASA is gearing up for an exciting mission to Mars with its InSight spacecraft, set to land on the Red Planet on November 26. Unlike previous missions that searched for signs of life or water, InSight is all about exploring what’s beneath Mars’ surface. This mission is a big deal because it will stay in one spot on Mars, rather than moving around like a rover.
InSight stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport. It’s a mission designed to give us a deeper understanding of Mars by using some really cool scientific tools.
InSight is the first mission to use a robotic arm to place instruments directly on Mars’ surface. Imagine a giant claw game, but on another planet! Unlike rovers that move around, InSight will carefully place its instruments in one spot to gather data.
One of InSight’s key tools is a seismometer, which will be the first to sit directly on Martian soil. Previous missions had seismometers, but they only picked up wind vibrations. This new seismometer will detect “Marsquakes,” landslides, and meteorite impacts. By studying these, scientists can learn about Mars’ geological activity and the size and state of its core, whether it’s solid or liquid.
InSight will also measure how Mars wobbles as it spins. By using radio waves and the Doppler effect, scientists can figure out what’s inside the planet. The way Mars wobbles can tell us if there’s liquid in its core, similar to how a raw egg spins differently than a hard-boiled one.
Another exciting tool is the heat probe, which will dig nearly five meters into Mars’ surface. This will be the deepest dig on any planet other than Earth! The probe has 14 temperature sensors to measure how heat moves through the ground. It will take about three months to reach its target depth, but if it hits rock, it might face some challenges.
InSight will also use a magnetometer to study Mars’ magnetic field. Although Mars lost its global magnetic field long ago, there are still magnetic effects to measure. The magnetometer will help scientists understand Mars’ core and how it interacts with magnetic fields created by the solar wind and Mars’ atmosphere.
The main goal of the InSight mission is to learn more about how rocky planets like Earth and Mars form and change over time. Mars is a great place to study because it formed around the same time as Earth. While Earth became a lively, water-rich planet, Mars turned into a cold desert. By understanding why these two planets took different paths, scientists hope to learn more about planetary evolution.
As InSight prepares to land on Mars, the excitement is building. Landing on Mars is tough, with less than half of all missions succeeding. But if InSight lands successfully, it will provide important scientific knowledge about how planets form and what Mars is like inside. You can even watch the landing live, with confirmation of success expected just four minutes after touchdown. The InSight mission is a big step forward in our quest to understand the mysteries of Mars.
Imagine you’re a scientist on the InSight mission! Use household items like a tray of sand and small weights to simulate Marsquakes. Shake the tray gently and observe how the sand moves. Discuss with your classmates how a seismometer might detect these movements on Mars. What do you think scientists can learn from these observations?
Using materials like cardboard, rubber bands, and straws, design a simple robotic arm. Your task is to pick up small objects and place them accurately, just like InSight’s robotic arm does on Mars. Reflect on the challenges you faced and how they relate to placing instruments on another planet.
Conduct an experiment to understand the Doppler effect, which InSight uses to measure Mars’ wobble. Use a smartphone app to generate sound waves and move the phone towards and away from a stationary microphone. Observe the changes in frequency and discuss how this principle helps scientists study Mars’ interior.
Create a model of InSight’s heat probe using a long stick and attach temperature sensors made from paper. Bury it in a sandbox and measure how temperature changes at different depths. Discuss how this experiment relates to understanding heat flow on Mars and the challenges the real probe might face.
Use a compass and magnets to explore how magnetic fields work. Create a map of magnetic field lines by placing the compass around the magnet and marking the needle’s direction. Discuss how InSight’s magnetometer helps scientists learn about Mars’ core and its interactions with solar wind.
Mars – The fourth planet from the Sun in our solar system, known for its reddish appearance due to iron oxide on its surface. – Scientists are eager to explore Mars to understand if life ever existed on the planet.
Insight – A deep understanding of a complex topic or problem, often gained through observation or study. – The Mars InSight mission aims to provide insight into the interior structure of Mars.
Seismometer – An instrument that measures and records details of earthquakes, such as force and duration. – The seismometer on the Mars InSight lander detected marsquakes, helping scientists learn about the planet’s interior.
Core – The central or innermost part of a planet, which can be composed of solid or liquid materials. – Understanding the composition of Earth’s core helps scientists learn about the planet’s magnetic field.
Magnetic – Relating to or exhibiting magnetism, a force that attracts or repels objects due to the motion of electric charges. – Earth’s magnetic field protects us from harmful solar radiation.
Probe – A spacecraft designed to travel through space to collect data about celestial bodies and send it back to Earth. – The Voyager probes have provided valuable information about the outer planets and beyond.
Wobble – A small, irregular motion or variation, often used to describe the movement of celestial bodies. – The wobble of a star can indicate the presence of an orbiting planet due to gravitational pull.
Temperature – A measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance, indicating how hot or cold it is. – The temperature on the surface of Venus can reach up to $467^circ$C, making it the hottest planet in our solar system.
Planetary – Relating to planets or their motion, composition, and characteristics. – Planetary scientists study the atmospheres and surfaces of planets to understand their evolution.
Evolution – The process by which something develops gradually over time, often used to describe changes in biological or astronomical systems. – The evolution of stars involves stages from nebulae to main-sequence stars, and eventually to red giants or supernovae.
