--- title: "NASA Lander Looks Beat as Hell in Final Selfie Before Death" description: "NASA's InSight Mars lander took \"what is likely to be its final selfie,\" according to a NASA update, a heartbreaking end to a spectacular mission." date: "2022-05-25" modified: "2022-05-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-lander-final-selfie" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "insight mars lander" - "mars" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # NASA Lander Looks Beat as Hell in Final Selfie Before Death ![NASA's InSight Mars lander took "what is likely to be its final selfie," according to a NASA update, a heartbreaking end to a spectacular mission.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Tears in Rain Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab are [getting ready to say goodbye]() to the agency's InSight Mars lander. To mark the occasion, the minivan-sized lander took "what is likely to be its final selfie," according to [a NASA update]() — a heartbreaking end to a mission that's given us unprecedented and fascinating [glimpses of the Red Planet's interior](). ## Dust to Dust And, as expected, it's not a pretty sight: the selfie, taken on April 24, shows InSight covered in Martian dust, obstructing the vast majority of its solar panels — which makes recharging its batteries extremely difficult. A [selfie taken from the same vantage point]() back in December 2018, shortly after it landed on the dusty Martian surface, shows just how much dust the poor lander has accumulated over the years. https://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/1528890525847130112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1528890525847130112%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Fscience%2Fspace%2Fdusty-nasa-mars-lander-snaps-what-will-likely-be-its-final-selfie%2F ## Shake It Off The lander has struggled to shake the dust from its solar panels for a while now. Last year, the team at JPL [got creative]() and had the lander scoop up and slowly drop Martian sand upwind of its solar arrays in hopes of allowing wind to clear the panels. But even then, the team already [started suspected]() InSight's days on Mars were numbered, with power reserves dwindling thanks to its increasingly blocked solar panels. The team at JPL is now getting ready to place InSight's robotic arm into its "retirement pose," its final resting place, later this month. May it rest in peace. **READ MORE:** [Dusty NASA Mars Lander Snaps What Will Likely Be Its Final Selfie]() \[*CNET*\] **More on InSight:** *[Goodnight Sweet Prince: NASA Is Officially Killing Its Mars Lander]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()