First meteoroid impact detected by NASA’s InSight mission; the image was taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizonais hit by 280 to 360 large meteorites annually, based on seismic data from’s InSight Mission. This rate is five times higher than estimates derived from orbital images, highlighting the effectiveness of seismology in impact studies.
Seismic data offers a new tool, in addition to observational data, for calculating meteorite impact rates and planning future Mars missions. Until now, planetary scientists have relied on orbital images and models inferred from well-preserved meteorite impacts on the Moon but extrapolating these estimates to Mars proved challenging. Scientists had to account for the stronger gravitational pull of Mars and its proximity to the asteroid belt, which both mean that more meteorites hit the red planet.