Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image | › Go to the lesson In this lesson from the "Pi in the Sky" math challenge, students use measurements from InSight along with pi to calculate the density of Mars' core. Mars’ mantle extends to 969 miles (1,560 kilometers) below the surface where it meets the planet’s core. ![]() The Martian lithosphere extends about 310 miles (500 kilometers) below the surface before it transitions into the remaining mantle layer, which is relatively cool compared with Earth’s mantle. Like Earth, Mars has a lithosphere, a rigid layer made up of the crust and upper mantle. Measuring how the waves change as a result of these reflections is how scientists unveiled the underground structure of Mars. As seismic waves from a marsquake or a meteorite impact spread across the surface and through the interior of the planet, they can reflect off of underground layers, giving scientists views into the unseen materials below. The top-most layer of the crust is about six miles (10 kilometers) deep, while the denser layers of the crust, which contain more felsic, or iron-rich, material extend downward to about 25 miles (40 kilometers) below the surface. Seismic waves detected by SEIS indicate that the crust is made up of three sub-layers, similar to Earth’s crust. Working our way from the surface to the center of the planet, scientists found Mars’ crust was thinner than expected. They also learned just how active Mars really is. InSight’s instruments enabled the mission science team to gain an understanding of not only the depth of Mars’ crust, mantle, and core, but also the composition of those features. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image | › Full image and caption Using its seismometer, InSight gained a deeper understanding of the interior layers of Mars, as detailed in this graphic. While the effort serves as a great real-world example of how engineers work through problems with distant spacecraft, ultimately, none of the solutions allowed the probe to dig past the surface when attempted on Mars. They tested solutions that would allow the probe to penetrate the surface, including pressing the scoop attached to InSight’s robotic arm against the probe. Using full-size models of the lander and probe, engineers recreated InSight’s environment here on Earth to see if they could find a solution to the issue. However, the self-hammering probe, informally called the "mole," struggled to dig itself in due to the unexpected consistency of the top few inches of Mars regolith at the landing site. InSight's Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, or HP3, was an instrument designed to burrow 16 feet (five meters) into Mars to measure the temperature at different depths and monitor how heat flowed out toward the surface. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image | › Full image and caption ![]() InSight captured these images of clouds drifting in the distance, visible just beyond the dome-like top of the SEIS instrument. ![]() They even carry clues about whether it was a marsquake or meteorite impact that created the waves. These waves, which travel through the Red Planet, can tell scientists a lot about the areas they pass through. SEIS, a seismometer like the ones used on Earth to record earthquakes, measured the seismic waves on Mars. Second, to study tectonic activity on Mars, scientists needed to determine the power, frequency, and location of “marsquakes” as well as measure how often meteoroids impacted the Red Planet, creating seismic waves.Įngineers equipped InSight with three main science tools that would allow researchers to answer these questions about Mars. To do that, they needed to investigate the size and make-up of Mars’ core, the thickness and structure of its crust, the structure of the mantle layer, the warmth of the planet's interior, and the amount of heat flowing through the planet. This meant meeting two main science goals.įirst, scientists wanted to understand how Mars formed and evolved. The InSight lander was designed to reveal the processes that led to the formation of Mars – as well as Earth, the Moon, and all rocky worlds. | + Expand image | › Full image and caption The locations of InSight's three main science tools, SEIS, HP3, and RISE are labeled in this illustration of the lander on Mars.
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