New NASA Lander Providing Local Weather Report From Mars | WeatherBug
Main Menu
Responsive menu icon

New NASA Lander Providing Local Weather Report From Mars

February 20, 2019
By Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — And now for the weather on Mars: NASA's newest lander is offering daily reports on the red planet's frigid winter.

Starting Tuesday, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is posting the highs and lows online, along with wind speed and atmospheric pressure from the InSight lander.

On Sunday, InSight recorded a high of 2 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 17 Celsius) and a low of minus 138 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 95 Celsius). Compare that with Sunday's coldest U.S. temperature: minus 27 degrees (minus 3 Celsius) in Taylor Park, Colorado.

Scientists need to know the local Mars weather to determine if InSight's seismometer is registering real marsquakes or simply wind or pressure changes.

InSight landed near the Mars equator in November. NASA's Curiosity rover also gives weather updates, while roaming around Mars about 340 miles (550 kilometers) away.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Image: This Dec. 6, 2018 image made available by NASA shows the InSight lander. The scene was assembled from 11 photos taken using its robotic arm. (NASA)