NASA Orbiter Captures Final Glimpse of Retired InSight Lander on Mars

The image, taken in October 2024, highlights the lander's dust-covered state and offers insights into Martian dust dynamics and surface changes.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured a high-resolution image of the retired InSight lander on October 23, 2024, revealing its dust-covered condition.
The InSight mission, which ended in December 2022, provided groundbreaking data on Mars' interior, including the detection of marsquakes and insights into the planet's crust, mantle, and core.
Researchers continue to study Martian dust accumulation and movement using the lander as a reference, contributing to the understanding of wind patterns and seasonal dust activity on Mars.
The imagery also aids in studying how dust affects meteoroid impact craters and the aging of surface features, offering valuable data for dating Martian terrain.
NASA plans to discontinue monitoring for InSight's signals by the end of 2024, as no activity has been detected since its retirement.