NASA Mars Lander Captures Strikes by 4 Incoming Space Rocks

Craters that were formed by a Sept. 5, 2021, meteoroid impact on Mars, in an undated photo. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona via AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.— A NASA lander on Mars has captured the vibrations and sounds of four meteoroids striking the planet’s surface.

Scientists reported Monday that Mars InSight detected seismic and acoustic waves from a series of impacts in 2020 and 2021. A satellite orbiting the red planet confirmed the impact locations, as far as 180 miles (290 kilometers) from the lander.