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NASA calls off Mars mission over faulty instrument

Wednesday, 23 December 2015 2:31 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 23 December 2015 2:32 PM ]

Seismometers in a vacuum sealed container (on the ground, left) was one of the main instruments on the suspended NASA InSight mission.

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has called off its next mission to Mars due to a faulty research instrument.

NASA said the launch was delayed for two years because of a problem with a seismometer provided by the French space agency.

"Mars only has launch opportunity every 26 months, so if you miss the window, its game over," explained NASA associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate John Grunsfeld.

According to French experts, the seismometer has a leak and required a vacuum seal to cope with harsh conditions on Mars. The leak was discovered in Paris, where the instruments were being tested at extremely cold temperatures, similar to the Martian climate.

"It's the first time ever that such a sensitive instrument has been built. We were very close to succeeding, but an anomaly has occurred, which requires further investigation. Our teams will find a solution to fix it, but it won't be solved in time for a launch in 2016," said Marc Pircher, director of the French national space agency’s Toulouse Space Center.

The mission, known as InSight, aimed to study the deep interior of the Red Planet, including its seismic activity, as well as the formation of rocky planets, such as the Earth.

The exploration of Mars by spacecraft began when in the late 20th century, when probes were first sent to the Red Planet. The studies have mainly focused on understanding the planet’s geology and habitability potential.

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