presently , on Mars there is a very sophisticated legal instrument that does n’t seem to work , so NASA has resolved taking somedesperate measuresto get it go again .
The musical instrument in enquiry is the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package , orHP3 , but well know as " the mole " . Its occupation is to drudge down into the Martian soil and begin to appraise the internal temperature of the Red Planet . unluckily , since February 28 , 2019 , it ’s not been doing much excavation .
The heat investigation is ego - hammering , so it drills through the ground by jumping up and down . To play it needs friction , which is best render by loose , Baroness Dudevant - like soil . However , the soil where the NASA delegation landed is different from the soil in antecedently studied placement , and it ’s not providing the clash it needs .
The mole is attached to the landerInSight , and over the retiring year engineers from both sides of the Atlantic have been looking at solution to get the mole back in its hole . After some issues in October last year , the resolution that had the most success was the“pinning ” approach . The team used InSight ’s robotlike arm to drive against the side of the heat investigation , providing enough clash to forge through the top bed of grime . It did getdigging again , but unfortunately , the groyne popped back out on two occasions likely due to a grime buildup during the self - hammering process . Hence the want now for drastic measures .
The robotic arm will now be placed on top of the mole so it can labor the investigation down deeper and deeper into the ground ; hopefully , deep enough for it to get a grip ( literally and figuratively ) and continue by itself . Despite its simpleness , this is a hazardous move . The back of HP3is where the soft science tether that links the mol to the lander is found .
Over the next few weeks , the squad will try this approaching . They will gently place the robotic arm scoop on the seawall ’s back cap and allow the jetty to do a short hammering session . They will also use the scoopful to cover the pickle around the seawall with more territory , hopefully producing more clash for it .
Hopefully , HP3will be shortly known as the picayune breakwater that could and ( lastly ) startle to expose the mysteries of Mars ' interior .
