NASA Mars Lander InSight Falls Silent After 4 Years
Rendering of NASA’s InSight lander.
Source: Adrian Mann/Future Publishing/Getty Images
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (MARCIA DUNN)
Updated on
Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP) -- It could be the end of the red dusty line for NASA’s InSight lander, which has fallen silent after four years on Mars.
The lander’s power levels have been dwindling for months because of all the dust coating its solar panels. Ground controllers at California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory knew the end was near, but NASA reported that InSight unexpectedly didn't respond to communications from Earth on Sunday.
