Issue #329 ofBBC Focuson sale 14 November 2018
The Red Planet is about to get a new resident robot: the Mars InSight lander. InSight doesn’t have wheels like Opportunity or Spirit, but when it touches down on Elysium Planitia on 26 November, it will show us a place that’s never been explored before: subterranean Mars.
Relatively little is known about what goes on beneath the Red Planet’s rocky ranges. But we do know one thing: the planet rumbles. These Marsquakes send vibrations coursing through the planet’s rock and InSight will be there, with some of the most delicate equipment ever launched into space, to listen to what they sound like. In a similar way to how you knock on a wall to tell if it’s hollow, the waves, recorded as seismographs along with other data, will paint a picture of what’s happening beneath Mars’s crust.
Understanding what’s going on inside the planet will tell us how it became an irradiated desert, whether or not life could be responsible for all the methane in its atmosphere, and whether Marsquakes might be something a future manned mission to Mars will have to worry about.
Read the whole story in the latest issue of BBC Focus magazine.Before then, it’s got to reach the surface in one piece. It’ll be one hell of a ride, so make sure you follow @NASAInSight to keep track of the mission and @sciencefocus for more on its findings.
Inside Mars
What will the InSight mission discover when it digs beneath the surface of the Red Planet?
The nuclear renegades
Meet the start-ups that are trying to generate clean energy for everyone via nuclear fusion.
Genetic hunt for Nessie
Scientists are tracking DNA to solve the mystery of Loch Ness once and for all.
BBC Dynasties interview
We talk to Nick Lyon, a producer from new BBC series Dynasties, about his experiences of filming – and babysitting – painted wolves.
The next space station
How NASA and ESA will build a gateway to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Q&A
- Can cats smile?
- Who was the first scientist?
- What if the Earth was made of blueberries?
Plus
Eye opener:Mind-blowing images
Discoveries: This month’s biggest science news. PLUS: Missing link between dinosaurs and birds discovered
Aleks Krotoski: Finding happiness in solitude
Michael Mosley: Is it worth giving up booze for a month?
Innovations: The latest technology and gadget news
Out there: Books, exhibitions, days out and more
Crossword: Solve the clues and feel smart
My life scientific:With computer scientist Dr Sue Black
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