Mars Lander's Quiet Legacy: InSight's Dusty End

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured new images of the InSight lander in October 2024. Even though InSight is no longer active, it's still teaching scientists about Mars. The lander, which stopped working in late 2022 due to dust on its solar panels, is now a dusty spot on the Martian surface. But it's not just sitting there. Researchers are using these new images to learn more about how dust behaves on Mars. InSight landed on Mars in 2018 with a mission to study the planet's interior. It was the first to detect "marsquakes, " which are like small earthquakes on Earth. These quakes help scientists understand how Mars was formed and how it has changed over time.Even after its retirement, InSight is still giving us new information. The dust that covered its solar panels has changed color, matching the rest of the planet. This helps scientists prepare for future missions. They've also learned more about Mars' wind and dust cycle by watching how the dust moves around. The MRO's images show that the dust hasn't changed much in the last two years. NASA will stop listening for InSight at the end of this year. But its work isn't over. The data it collected will continue to help us understand Mars and other rocky planets.