The seismometer installed on the said lander played an important role in this discovery. This one reached Mars in November 2018 and regularly provides information on local geology. This highly sensitive instrument was even used to capture sounds on the surface of Mars by detecting acoustic vibrations in the Martian atmosphere.
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The results of the latest expert opinions appear on the pages natural earth sciences. This time, it turned out that behind the vibrations detected by InSight were objects exploding in the atmosphere of the red planet and then hitting its surface in the form of meteors.
Earthquakes on Mars were linked to the impact of space rocks
The entry of a large enough cosmic rock into the atmosphere leaves some traces. This is because shock waves arise when the pressure inside a meteorite rises sharply, eventually causing an explosion. Just hitting the surface also generates more waves than that. Using acoustic and seismic data collected by InSight, the scientists identified four separate impacts, all within 300 kilometers of the probe. It was held on May 27, 2020, February 18, 2021, August 31, 2021 and September 5, 2021.
A clear relationship between the recorded seismic and acoustic waves and a particular impact crater on another planet has not been achieved. The Internal Structure Seismic Experiment (SEIS) and pressure sensors on the InSight lander provide the unique possibility to correlate the entry of a Martian meteorite into the atmosphere and impact on Earth with the mechanical waves it generates. We use InSight seismic data to estimate new impact craters on the surface of Mars. Rafael Garcia, Higher Institute of Space and Vehicles
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By analyzing the times of arrival of sound and seismic waves to the probe, Garcia and his colleagues were able to estimate where the collisions occurred. These were 286.5, 84, 267, and 86 kilometers from InSight, respectively. Images of these regions, taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, confirmed that there were recent cosmic rock impacts there. Unfortunately, InSight may never provide us with information about the Red Planet. Layers of dust covering the probe’s plates mean the power supply is poor, and the craft likely won’t be able to survive.
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