KEY POINTS

  • NASA's InSight Lander shared what could be the last image it sends
  • Many reacted to the rather emotional message it shared on Twitter
  • It has also previously shared its final selfie before retirement

NASA's InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Lander is just about ready to end its mission on Mars, and it sent what could just be its last photo back to Earth.

The space agency has been preparing to say goodbye to InSight for a while now, as the lander's power generation continues to diminish by the day. It appears InSight is also preparing to say its own farewell, with the rather poignant photo shared on its official Twitter account this week.

"My power's really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don't worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will – but I'll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me," the tweet reads.

If you felt emotional after that farewell, you're not alone. Many replied to the tweet, expressing their sadness at its impending retirement. One user asked "Why am I crying over a robot?" while many shared gifs expressing tears. Many also thanked InSight for its service, while one even shared a short comic, calling it "the best."

Earlier in the year, InSight also shared its final selfie before its arm gets permanently rested in a "retirement position."

Indeed, InSight has achieved much during its mission on the Red Planet. After it landed on Nov. 26, 2018, it achieved its primary mission and went on to go on an extended mission.

Earlier this year, it even captured a massive quake, which scientists recently found to actually be five times larger than the previous record holder and the "biggest Marsquake that we have seen," according to the study lead author Taichi Kawamura.

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The InSight mission will be officially declared over once it misses two consecutive communication sessions, and if the cause of the issue is the lander itself, according to NASA. Still, the Deep Space Network will continue listening for it for a while "just in case."

"InSight has transformed our understanding of the interiors of rocky planets and set the stage for future missions," Lori Glaze, the director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, reportedly said back in May. "We can apply what we've learned about Mars' inner structure to Earth, the Moon, Venus, and even rocky planets in other solar systems."

NASA InSight Lander1
This artist's concept depicts the InSight lander on Mars after the lander's robotic arm has deployed a seismometer and a heat probe directly onto the ground. InSight is the first mission dedicated to investigating the deep interior of Mars. The findings will advance understanding of how all rocky planets, including Earth, formed and evolved. NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA Mars Earth