Nasa’s InSight Mars lander has placed a domed shield over its seismometer, completing that instrument’s deployment.
The seismometer will look for evidence of ongoing seismic activity on the red planet to provide data about the deep interior of Mars.
This will help scientists determine how the planet formed. The seismometer, called the seismic experiment for interior structure (Seis), is the lander’s highest priority science instrument. It is needed to complete about three-quarters of the mission’s scientific objectives.
The spacecraft touched down on 26 November 2018. On 19 December, a robotic arm picked up the instrument from its storage position and placed it on the martian surface about 1.6 metres away from the spacecraft.
The dome was placed over the instrument on 2 February by the same robotic arm. It will protect the highly sensitive instrument from passing winds and temperature fluctuations, which can span a full 94C over the course of a Martian day.
On Earth, seismometers are often buried in underground vaults to isolate them from such disturbances. Next for InSight will be the deployment of its second surface science instrument, the heat flow and physical properties package (HP3). This is expected to happen next week.
