In the process of concluding its scientific mission to Mars, NASA's Insight probe took a last 'selfie' in which it shows the thick layer of red dust that has covered the solar panels limiting the recharging of the batteries: precisely because of this drop in energy, in days the lander will be forced to stop the robotic arm by putting it in the rest position, while the shutdown of the on-board seismometer (which in almost 4 years has recorded over 1,300 earthquakes) is expected by the end of the summer .
Insight's latest self-timer, taken on April 24th, was published by NASA in an animation that compares it with two other photos taken when the panels were still clean and functional: the first selfie, taken in December 2018 at a few days after landing, and the second selfie, made in spring 2019.
If strong winds do not blow over the solar panels in the next few months, Insight should stop working by December.
