Science
NASA’s attempt to burrow into Mars met 2 insurmountable obstacles: cement-like soil and an unexpected energy shortage – Yahoo News
InSight lander’s “mole” was unable to hammer through the Martian soil, and unusually dusty solar panels meant the robot was generating less power.
NASA sent its InSight lander to Mars with an ambitious mission: to study the planet’s deep internal structure. A crucial piece of that effort — the “mole” — has failed despite two years of attempts to salvage it.
The mole is a revolutionary heat probe designed to burrow 16 feet into the Martian soil and take the planet’s temperature. Its measurements would have revealed clues about how the planet formed and has changed over the last 4.6 billion years — a history that would help scientists track…
