NASA's InSight lander says goodbye from Mars

This is likely the last photo NASA will ever send back to Earth. Since landing on the planet in November of last year, the robot has been snapping pictures and gathering data, and it has been accumulating dust on its solar panels. The layer of debris has become too thick for the solar panels to work. On December 19th, the final image from the surface of Mars was released by the InSight account.

My power is really low, so this may be the last image I send. My time here has been productive and peaceful. I will sign off here if I can keep talking to my team. Thank you for being with me.

You're welcome.

My power’s really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don’t worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will – but I’ll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me. pic.twitter.com/wkYKww15kQ

— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) December 19, 2022

InSight touched down on Mars. NASA scientists were able to see a clearer picture of the planet's interior structure thanks to the set up of a seismometer. More than 500 earthquakes and at least one meteorite impact have been reported over the past four years. According to the reports, the core of Mars is likely composed of lighter elements than previously thought.

Dust on the lander's solar panels will cause it to go dark by the end of the summer. After four years on Mars, InSight stopped communicating with NASA. The agency said the following in a post on their website.

NASA's InSight didn't respond to communications from Earth. The power of the landers has been declining for months, and it is assumed that InSight may have ended its operations. The last time it was contacted was in December of 2022. The mission will keep trying to contact InSight.