The InSight module went offline in December 2022
The US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the news about the InSight lander project on the surface of the Red Planet.
Data sent by the spacecraft before it “retired” in December 2022 has provided new details about how fast the planet is spinning.
NASA noted:
Scientists have made the most accurate measurements of Mars’ rotation ever, discovering for the first time how the planet wobbles as its molten metal core “sloshes out”.
NASA’s InSight probe reports before “retirement”
The authors of the study found that the rotation of the planet is accelerating by about 4 milliseconds of arc per year, which corresponds to a reduction in the length of the Martian day by a fraction of a millisecond per year.
Scientists aren’t entirely sure what caused this slight acceleration. Among the theories are the accumulation of ice on the polar caps and glacial isostasy (the movement of land masses in areas of glaciation).
NASA explained quite poetically:
The shift in the planet’s mass could cause it to speed up a bit – like a skater who spins with arms outstretched and then folds them together.
