Since landing, the lander has recorded more than 450 cases of seismic activity – or, as some experts call it, ‘marsquakes’. Researchers say data from InSight has revealed a lot about the planet’s structure and magnetic field. The aircraft is equipped with high precision seismometers and various detectors. According to InSight readings, the Red Planet emits an endless hump punctuated by earthquakes and aftershocks.Īnd no one can understand the reason for this. When NASA launched its InSight lander to study Mars in 2018, no one expected the planet to be humming.īut that’s exactly what the spacecraft found. Methane is also generated through geological processes, such as when some rock minerals react with water.Īstronomers need to gather more evidence before identifying the source of the gas. Incredible discovery points to extraterrestrial life, but it is not definitive proof. The exploratory rover detected the gas twice since 2013-14, but this is far less than the most recent measurements. This isn’t the first time Curiosity has faced a methane spike. The highest spike was detected inside Gale, a 154 km (96 mi) wide crater that the rover has discovered since landing in 2012. In 2019, NASA’s Curiosity vehicle discovered a spike in methane gas in the Martian atmosphere.