NASA probably discovered quakes on Mars in the 1970s

Space

The Viking 1 and 2 Mars probes looked for evidence of quakes on Mars, but failed to find anything definitive. Now a reanalysis suggests Viking 2 found marsquakes after all

By Jonathan O’Callaghan

Viking 2 on the surface of Mars

NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Viking 2 lander probably discovered quakes on Mars almost 50 years ago, but this has only just been confirmed thanks to data from the more recent InSight probe.

In 1975, NASA launched two missions to Mars, Viking 1 and 2, to study the planet’s surface and search for life. Both probes were also equipped with a seismometer to hunt for marsquakes, tremors on the Martian surface similar to earthquakes, to see if they existed.

Viking 1’s seismometer failed to operate, but Viking …

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