NASA's Insight Lander detects first marsquake

SPACE — NASA's Insight lander has sent back signals from the first ever marsquake, according to NASA.

On April 6, scientists received data describing possible seismic waves in Mars detected by NASA's Insight lander. This was the first seismic recording that might have come from within the planet and not caused by exterior movement.

The lander's seismometer detected three other seismic signals on March 14, April 10, and April 11. These waves were much smaller than the one detected on April 6 and their exact cause remains unknown.

The marsquake was detected by the lander's Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS, which is designed to pick up seismic waves while at the same time insulating its sensors from wind and other external elements that might interfere with signals. "

The weakest movements were detected by Insight's Very Broad Band sensors, an ultrasensitive instrument containing three pendulums that register movements on the Martian surface.

The lander also carries a heat probe that can penetrate 5 meters into the surface of the planet to measure its heat flow and interior temperature and two antennas called RISE that will help determine the size and composition of the planet's core.