The Martian crust contains varying amounts of volcanic and sedimentary rocks, as well as ice in deeper layers in different regions of the planet. It has now been revealed that the surface is littered with craters caused by almost daily meteorite impacts.
On Christmas Eve 2021, the InSight Mars mission’s seismometer detected a major meteorite impact that had shaken the planet. The event created a 150-meter-wide crater, and researchers observed surface waves never before seen on Mars.
We know more and more about Mars, not enough of course, but more and more missions are revealing details about its composition, for example. A few days ago, news broke that NASA's Perseverance Mars rover had discovered a strange rock in the Jezero Crater. The light stone, which looks different from its surroundings, is 35 cm high. According to Perseverance's analysis, it is composed of pyroxene and feldspar minerals. But the big mystery is how it ended up in the area where it was found, since there are no similar rocks or materials in its surroundings. There are two hypotheses, one says that it could have been transported by a river, the other says that it came from a body of magma that reached the surface.
Revolutionary engine
Europe's next mission to Mars will use a pioneering nuclear-powered device that exploits the radioactive decay of americium to keep its components warm. The European Space Agency (ESA) announced in May this year that Europe is the first with NASA's contribution Mars rover Rosalind Franklin could also start slowly. ESA originally worked with the Russian space agency Roscosmos on the mission, but ended the partnership in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Devices that use the heat generated by the decay of radioactive elements, called radioisotope heating units (RHUs), can power spacecraft without electricity by heating components. RHUs use the heat naturally produced during radioactive decay. ESA’s heating units are the first to use americium-241, a by-product of plutonium decay. By the end of the decade, the goal is to develop americium batteries that can power spacecraft, not just heat them. ESA staff hope it will also be used in a series of lunar missions planned for the early 2030s.
Basketball meteorites hit Mars
Understanding the internal structure of celestial bodies also helps greatly in seismology, because as seismic waves pass through the materials in the crust, mantle, and core of planets, the structure changes. These changes can reveal what the layers are made of and how deep they are.
Researchers from ETH Zurich and Imperial College London He was driving The international group, based on seismic data collected by NASA’s InSight Mars mission, revealed that basketball-sized meteorite impacts occur on Mars almost every day. The team also identified high-frequency (VF) events caused by the impacts. About 280-360 meteorites also hit Mars each year, creating impact craters larger than 8 meters in diameter.
These meteorites are much older than previously thought, which is why Mars may be more geologically active than previously assumed, meaning the planet's age and evolution may not match previous hypotheses.
The highly sensitive seismometer on board InSight has identified new impact craters, which could change our current understanding of Mars, but also the history of meteorite impacts discovered on other planets in the solar system. This insight could be important in predicting potential hazards we may encounter on future Mars missions.
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