NASA Rescues InSight Rig With Robotic Arm

InSight spacecraft descended onthe surface of Mars in November 2018, and now it faces the task of exploring the internal structure of the planet and the processes occurring in it. The main tools of the rover are the SEIS seismograph and the HP3 drilling rig, which stopped work at a depth of 30 centimeters in early March due to falling into a trap in the form of a stone or sand stuck together. Soon NASA space agency will get the rig out of the trap, and the rover arm of the rover will help her with this.

The space agency identified two possiblereasons for the inoperability of the rig. Initially, seismograph data alluded to the fact that the drill of the rover collided with a solid stone. Then, the InSight team noticed that there was not enough adhesion between the drill and the surrounding soil - it was likely that it collided with a 20-centimeter layer of sand stuck together due to chemical reactions. The second option seemed the most realistic, and now the agency intends to get the drill out of the trap with the help of the robotic arm InSight.

InSight will be able to resume drilling Mars

The tool is called Deployment Arm, it has2.4 meters long and equipped with a locking mechanism. With the help of it, NASA intends to either compensate for the recoil during drilling, allowing the drilling rig to pass through the stuck sand layer, or completely free it from the trap.

The robotic arm will be activated at the end.June - work on the restoration of the drilling rig will take place in several stages. In particular, the InSight team plans to pick up the support structure and carefully lift it throughout the week, controlling the process with the help of cameras.

If problems and dangers ariseInSight Mars rover can be pulled out of the ground, but it can no longer be used. Firstly, the hand is unable to insert it back into the well, and secondly, the drill can not withstand rough pulling and simply breaks.

Despite the problems with the rig,the remaining parts of the rover InSight continue their work. Thanks to them, humanity has already heard the sound of the Martian wind - you can listen to it in our material.

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