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Scientists discover ‘anomalies’ under Mars’ surface

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Results from the latest NASA mission InSight indicate that Mars may have a liquid core, alongside unexplained irregularities in its mantle.

NASA’s latest mission to Mars, InSight, has brought back new data that shows anomalies underneath the planet’s surface, and strengthens theories that it may lack a solid inner core.

Information gathered by Insight was focused on Mars’ subterranean layers, including the core and mantle. The mission finished in December of last year, and suggests that Mars may have a shifting rotational rate due to unexplained dynamics in its interior, atmosphere, or ice caps.

Alongside its material composition, scientists were also able to piece together new details as to how Mars was formed and has changed over the last 4.5 billion years. All of this work is bringing us closer to discovering whether life was ever present on the planet’s surface.

How does it all work? InSight landed on November 26, 2018, and operated for four years. It came to a halt when the solar panels became covered in dust, unable to recharge and produce energy from the sun. During that time, it recorded and analysed information from over 1,300 ‘marsquakes’. Unsurprisingly, these are earthquake-equivalent natural occurrences on Mars.

Seismic waves were captured and studied, giving researches a new view into how the planet operates and exists in space.

Alongside these recordings was a system called RISE, short for Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment. This bounced radio signals across space, transmitting from Mars back to antennas on Earth.

Scientists at the Royal Observatory of Belgium published a new study last week that used RISE ‘to determine fundamental properties of the core, mantle, and atmosphere of Mars’.

This study describes internal ‘mass anomalies,’ areas with distinct densities compared to their surroundings. These anomalies stretch from the top of the mantel to the bottom. It also says that Mars is likely to have an all-liquid core.

NASA also shared two images of Mars in ultraviolet light this week, with the aim of giving further insight into the planet’s atmosphere and surface features.

 

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The greater our understanding of Mars, the better we’ll determine whether or not life ever did exist. With billionaires eager to race toward our moon and other planets for space tourism, who knows how far our knowledge will have come in the next few decades.

We’ll have to wait – but the future of space looks bright.

Editor In Chief London, UK

I’m Charlie (He/Him), the Editor In Chief at Thred. I studied English at the University of Birmingham and as a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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