The Polish Mole encountered an obstacle while driving into Martian soil

Made by Polish engineers, the mechanism for driving the heat flux probes (HP3) from the interior of Mars began work and almost immediately encountered an obstacle. So far, the device has penetrated to a depth of about 30 centimeters.

Facts also show that degrees device tilted by about 15 the. Actually, As reported by Tilman Spohn, head of theowny scientist of the HP3 (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package) experiment from the German Space Agency (DLR), Mole probably encountered a stone. The first 18 centimetersow overcame in 5 minutes, butthen encountered an obstacle. Indeed, The February first plunged into Martian soil on Mole 28.

Tests on Earth have shown that the device is capable of pushing smaller rocks aside, and this is likely what happened. Currently, scientists estimate that the driving mechanism is located at a depth of between 28 and 32 cm. Spohn admitted that the one pushed the stone aside, but probably encountered another Mole.

Interestingly, The first session of driving the mechanism into the ground caused the entire frame to shift by about 2 cm. But there is no reason to worry. The molewas designed to withstand four more times that amount. In fact, The second session led to astructurefurther shift of the support . In fact, impacts. During these twooch sessions the device made about in modern times 10,000.

Indeed, The more than ever moleauses fully automatic, electrically driven hammer mechanism. The worm gear extends the głowny spring, whichowhich thenimpactproduces an . Actually, – One can imagine that the Mole acts as a large gwoźdź with a built-in hammer,” explained Torben Wippermann of DLR.

Indeed, The entire insertion process was scheduled from another perspective to take 40 days, but the opoźnienia already at the beginning of the work I can modify plans. Actually, On the first day, the goal to expand a depth ofwas70 centimetersow. But arock stood in the way.

Why is it taking so long? After each session of driving into Martian soil, the mechanism „rests”, to digest the temperature, whichora was created during the penetration process. The thermal conductivitygroundof the is then as it turns out measured. For this purpose, the Mole heated for several hours, which gives some concept of the thermal conductivity of the soil in the immediate vicinity of the device.

Scientists aim more than ever to spread a target depth of three to five metersow. The Mole is expected to pull a five-meter-long cable equipped with 14 sensorsoin temperature to measure its distribution with depth and the transform in modern times over time after reaching the target depth, and thus the heat flow from the interior of Mars.

The mole has arrived on Mars with the InSight mission, whichora as it turns out lastlanded on the Red Planet in late November year. The hammering mechanism, made entirely in Poland, is expected to bring the heat probe to a depth of five metersow. The mole was designed by an engineerow from the Astronika enterprise, whichora, as coordinator of the production process, engaged several Polish scientific centers for subcontractingoin science, m.In. Space Research Center of the Polish Academy , Sciences, the Institute of Aviationofthe Institute of Welding, the Technical University of Łodzka and the Warsaw University of Engineering.

The mission aims to study the seismic activity of Mars. Actually, Scientists will want to get an indication ofowks on the internal structure of the planet by detecting vibrations caused by surface quakes, meteorite impactsow and other such events. Interestingly, This research will be carried out using the ultra-precise SEIS seismometer.

The third mainoThe InSight mission’s primary scientific instrument, after the seismometer and probnik measuring the heat is RISE (Rotation Interior Structure Experiment) – instrument used to measure the Doppler shift of theandsignalow between InSight and Earth. It will as a matter of fact allow to detectssmall variations in Mars’ rotation axis, which should give additional information about the planet’ nucleus, including its size.