NASA’s pioneering InSight Rover taken off line after hitting snag on Mars

“For InSight, marsquakes will act like flashbulbs that will allow us to “see” what is inside Mars. 

“Each marsquake will send vibrations, or waves, travelling through the planet. 

“These waves are modified by the material they pass through, so when we record them with our seismometer we can decode this information and start to put together a 3-D picture of the inside of Mars.”

He added: “InSight’s measurements will help establish exactly how active the planet is, and together with the determination of the interior structure we will be able to better estimate its history of activity.

“It will be the first thorough check-up since the planet formed 4.5 billion years ago.”