New analysis connects Viking 2 seismic data to Mars region probed by InSight

Scientists reassessing data from NASA's Viking 2 lander have linked a seismic event recorded in 1976 to the same region on Mars where the InSight lander detected nearly 1,000 marsquakes decades later, Eos Earth & Space Science reported. The new analysis by Xiao et al. examined two ambiguous events originally detected by Viking 2 and compared them directly to the dataset collected by the InSight mission. [1]

Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through planetary bodies. Early efforts to collect planetary seismic data involved placing seismometers on the Apollo missions to the Moon and the Viking missions that reached Mars in 1976. While the Apollo detectors succeeded, Viking 1 failed to deploy its instrument properly, and Viking 2 recorded only two potential marsquakes, according to Eos Earth & Space Science. [1][4]

The InSight robotic lander was manufactured by Lockheed Martin Space and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The mission was designed to study the deep interior, crust, mantle, and core of Mars to better understand the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets. InSight previously confirmed that Mars has an active interior by detecting ongoing seismic activity. [3][5]

Analyzing seismic waves gives researchers critical details about planetary interiors, according to Eos Earth & Space Science. Linking the historical 1976 signal to active seismic areas identified by InSight helps scientists compare internal planetary evolution across long observation timelines. [1][5]