As power goes out, NASA's InSight mission is trying to squeeze out all the science it can.
The seismometer, which is the last operational science instrument running on dwindling power supplies, was supposed to be shut off in June.
The seismometer will be allowed to operate until the end of August or into early September according to an update from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The director of NASA's Planetary Science Division said that InSight hasn't finished teaching them about Mars. We're going to get as much science as we can before the landers come to an end.
The biggest earthquake on Mars has been detected.
NASA had to make a decision between keeping charge in the lander's batteries and getting more data from the seismometer in order to detect more marsquakes.
The seismometer will be turned off to keep it operating longer. It is possible that the seismometer will turn off before the power goes out.
JPL officials wrote in the press release that it leaves the landers protected from sudden events that ground controllers wouldn't have time to respond to. It's not possible for controllers to respond instantly to events on the Red Planet because it's so far away.
Due to its successful work in assessing the Red Planet's interior and measuring marsquakes, the landers has been extended for another year.
The solar panels don't have a way to clear off the dust. As the dust storm season began in the winter, the technique of blowing sand across a solar panel was not enough to save the landers.
According to NASA, the best approach for the last few weeks of work on the Red Planet is to focus on science.
According to the statement, the goal is to get scientific data all the way to the point where InSight can't operate at all, rather than conserve energy and operate the lander with no science benefit.
The mission's power supplies can be tracked on the NASA website.
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