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NASA's InSight satellite placed its first instrument on the surface of Mars this Wednesday (19), just weeks after landing on the planet, completing "an important task" of the mission, reports the website. from the agency.
This is a seismograph designed to detect telluric movements and meteorite impacts on the red planet. The device was installed using a shell that InSight has in its bionic arms.
"Placing the seismograph securely on the ground is an incredible Christmas present," said Project Manager Tom Hoffman of the Propulsion Laboratory of
In case you missed it, here is some thing for the story books: for the first time, I put a seismograph on the surface of Mars!
"It is the priority instrument of InSight: we need it to reach about three quarters of our scientific objectives," said the principal investigator. Bruce Banerdt
This device allows scientists to learn more about the Martian subsoil by studying their movements. Each earthquake acts as a sort of "lightning" that illuminates the inner structure of the planet. By badyzing how seismic waves cross the inner layers of the planet, scientists can discover the depth and composition of each of them, say the experts.
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