Data from NASA’s Mars InSight Lander, though no longer active on the Red Planet, remains pivotal in new scientific discoveries.

Researchers, led by Brown University, used InSight’s data to reveal that Mars might be experiencing more frequent meteoroid impacts than previously known.

The study, published in Science Advances, suggests impact rates could be two to 10 times higher than earlier estimates, depending on meteoroid size.

Lead researcher Ingrid Daubar noted potential implications for Mars’ geological activity and surface evolution, given the discovery of eight new impact craters identified using InSight’s sensitive seismometer, Phys.org has reported.

These findings challenge existing cratering models and underscore the need to revise understandings of Martian surface dynamics shaped by ongoing meteoroid collisions.

Written by B.C. Begley