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A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 26 February 2020
Mars lander confirms quakes, even aftershocks on red planet

By MARCIA DUNN than Earth. The findings are
AP Aerospace Writer close to initial predictions.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The moon's seismic activity
(AP) — NASA's newest Mars is known thanks to instru-
lander has confirmed that ments left behind a half-
quakes and even after- century ago by the Apollo
shocks are regularly jolting astronauts.
the red planet. "Knowledge of the level
Scientists reported Monday of seismic activity is cru-
that the seismometer from cial for investigating the
the InSight spacecraft has interior structure and un-
detected scores of mars- derstanding Mars' thermal
quakes. and chemical evolution,"
A series of research papers Banerdt wrote in an over-
focus on the 174 mars- view article in Nature Geo-
quakes noted through last science. The journal as well
September. Twenty-four as Nature Communications
were relatively strong — feature four papers from
magnitude 3 to 4 — and the InSight team.
apparently stemmed from Other key findings: The first
distant underground trig- magnetic measurements
gers. The rest were smaller, from the Martian surface
with uncertain magnitude show a local magnetic
and origin. Even the stron- field that's 10 times stron-
ger quakes would not have ger than detected from
posed a hazard to any- orbit, and weather instru-
body on the planet's sur- ments have found a surpris-
face, researchers said in a ingly dynamic atmosphere
press conference. around the spacecraft.
The overall tally has since While the French seismom-
jumped to more than 450 eter is exceeding expecta-
marsquakes, most of them tions, a German-built probe
small, InSight's lead sci- has had trouble burrowing
entist, Bruce Banerdt of into Mars, barely penetrat-
NASA's Jet Propulsion Labo- This Feb. 18, 2020 photo made available by NASA shows the InSight lander's dome-covered ing a couple feet (50 cen-
ratory, said in an email. seismometer, known as SEIS, on Mars. timeters). Scientists have
The basic cause of Martian Associated Press not yet given up on the
quakes is a long-term cool- ing deeper under the plan- interference from wind and ed, that doesn't mean they mechanical mole, which
ing of the planet, which et's surface. In an email, he other weather conditions aren't occurring, accord- keeps popping out of the
makes it contract, fractur- said "another year of obser- can mask the measure- ing to Banerdt. ground.
ing its brittle outer layers, vations will be needed to ments. Banerdt describes Mars as The mole was supposed to
Banerdt told reporters. But complete the goals of the And while no marsquakes moderately active from a bury 16 feet (5 meters) into
it's not clear what detailed mission." with magnitudes greater seismic standpoint, more Mars to measure the plan-
mechanisms bring on spe- InSight landed in a small than 4 have been detect- than the moon but less et's internal temperature.q
cific quakes, he said. crater in Mars' Elysium Pla-
out meteor impacts, the French seismometer was Congresswoman: Science should
While the team cannot rule nitia in November 2018. Its
pears to be underground, canic plain the following guide nuclear storage decision
placed directly on the vol-
source of the tremors ap-
according to the research- month.
ers. Nevertheless, Mars- This region has especially By SUSAN MONTOYA BRY- ensure New Mexico does jan Grisham and other
orbiting spacecraft are on turbulent weather, with AN not pay an unfair price as members of the state’s
the lookout for signs of re- dust devil-like vortexes. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) part of the solution. congressional delega-
cent impacts, and InSight's The lander still has another — A member of New “My concern is making tion. They are concerned
cameras scan the night sky year of geologic obser- Mexico’s congressional sure that we’re looking about the state becoming
for meteors. So far, they've vations for a total of two delegation wants to en- at the science and that a permanent dump since
come up empty. years, or one full Martian sure a “sound and robust” we are doing our best to the federal government
Banerdt said he had hoped year. There likely are more scientific review is done evaluate based on that, is far from having any
to find more larger quakes, quakes occurring than the before federal regulators not based on economic long-term plan for deal-
which are useful for prob- seismometer is registering; decide whether to sign off considerations or based ing with the tons of spent
on plans for a multibillion- on fear or bias, but based fuel building up at nuclear
dollar temporary storage on how dowe solve a power plants around the
facility for spent nuclear challenge that is a nation- nation.
fuel. U.S. Rep. Xochitl Tor- al challenge,” the Demo- State and industry offi-
res Small in an interview crat said. cials also have concerns
with The Associated Press While elected leaders about potential effects on
acknowledged that the in Eddy and Lea coun- oil and gas development,
growing stockpile of used ties support the project, as the proposed site is lo-
fuel at commercial reac- it has garnered fierce cated within the Permian
tors around the U.S. is a opposition from nuclear Basin — one of the world’s
national problem and that watchdog groups, New most prolific energy pro-
elected leaders need to Mexico Gov. Michelle Lu- duction regions.q