{"id":37975,"date":"2019-07-12T19:27:59","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T11:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/rescue-plan-for-insight-landers-stuck-heat-probe-gets-underway\/"},"modified":"2019-07-12T19:27:59","modified_gmt":"2019-07-12T11:27:59","slug":"rescue-plan-for-insight-landers-stuck-heat-probe-gets-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/rescue-plan-for-insight-landers-stuck-heat-probe-gets-underway\/","title":{"rendered":"Rescue plan for InSight lander\u2019s stuck heat probe gets underway"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since its successful landing at Elysium Planitia on Mars back on November 26th of last year, NASA\u2019s InSight spacecraft has been feverishly studying the planet\u2019s internal structure to get a sense of how it formed and subsequently evolved over billions of years.<\/p>\n

These studies are currently being conducted by use of a plethora of scientific instruments and experiments, including an advanced self-hammering probe (affectionately nicknamed the \u201cmole\u201d) that can monitor heat flow through the Martian surface. However, this probe has suffered from some issues that require a resolution plan to be implemented.\n<\/p>\n

This instrument, known officially as the Heat and Physical Properties Probe \u2013 or HP3 for short \u2013 was developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and provided to NASA for use on the InSight lander.<\/p>\n

The small, 35 centimeter-long probe was designed to burrow as deep as 5 meters (16 feet) below the surface of Mars while connected to a tether, which is embedded with temperature sensors that can determine how efficiently heat travels from the planet\u2019s core.<\/p>\n

Data taken from could then be used to reveal new information about Mars\u2019 core and its state of matter \u2013 whether it is currently a liquid or solid core.<\/p>\n

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The heat-flow probe is supported by a larger, rectangular structure, which brings the total mass of the HP3 package to 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds). After being placed on the surface by InSight\u2019s robotic Instrument Deployment Arm (IDA), the support structure would ensure that the probe would be kept in place during the initial hammering sequence.<\/p>\n

If everything to this point went well, the probe would keep on burrowing to 5 meters in depth, provided that it did not encounter any obstacles.<\/p>\n

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DLR scientists and engineers built the heat-flow probe with the purpose of using friction to its advantage \u2013 that is, the Martian soil would absorb the recoil from the probe\u2019s hammering action, thereby providing enough friction for movement.<\/p>\n

A small motor and gearbox is located inside, which periodically loads a spring connected to a rod. After release, this \u201chammer\u201d accelerates downwards and into the outer casing of the probe, which allows it to self-burrow into the ground.<\/p>\n

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The HP3 package was successfully deployed onto the Martian surface on February 12, 2019, and the heat-flow probe was released from its support structure on February 22. NASA and DLR initially gave the go for hammering to begin on the 26th, but were forced to hold off until the 28th.<\/p>\n

On that day, the probe began hammering into the regolith as expected, and made it about a foot (12 inches) deep into the surface. However, after about a half-hour, both the NASA and DLR teams discovered a problem: the probe could not hammer any further than that.<\/p>\n

At first, both agencies presumed that the probe had made contact with a rock just below the surface. However, they had prepared for this scenario \u2013 the probe had previously destroyed small rocks and even maneuvered around others during testing back on Earth. As such, they commanded the probe to continue hammering, in case the force would shatter the obstacle or push it aside. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort occurred during that day\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n

NASA and DLR also began to suspect that the Martian soil itself was to blame for the probe\u2019s sudden stoppage. The usually loose regolith was supposed to flow evenly around the device during hammering, as observed during simulated testing in Earth-based laboratories.<\/p>\n

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JPL engineers conducting testing on models of the HP3 package \u2013 credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/p>\n

However, it has been posited that the probe may have instead found an empty space in the subsurface soil, which is unable to provide the friction necessary for movement \u2013 the device would instead just bounce in place.<\/p>\n

After about 4 months of investigation, engineers from the NASA and DLR teams came across another potential issue: in its attempts to hammer through the obstacle, the probe had gotten itself inclined by about 15 degrees with respect to vertical \u2013 this was observed when the support structure moved by about 2 centimeters from its last position.<\/p>\n

This, combined with its shallow depth into the Martian surface, meant that the probe may have wedged itself inside the HP\u00b3 package\u2019s support structure, thereby preventing it from moving regardless of the obstacle it encountered. However, NASA nor DLR could tell for sure, since the support structure was blocking InSight\u2019s view of the probe itself.<\/p>\n

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Illustration of heat probe wedged inside support structure \u2013 credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/p>\n

Therefore, both agencies spent the early days of June concocting a plan to \u201crescue\u201d the probe and resume hammering operations: they would send commands to InSight\u2019s Deployment Arm to have it slowly lift the support structure upwards, thereby allowing the teams to get a better look at the device.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

See Also<\/h4>\n