It’s been 21 months since the InSight lander touched down on Mars and HiRISE images show the changes that have taken place over time at the landing site.

The image on the right shows the prominent dark spot produced by the retrorockets that were used during the descent to the surface. The retrorockets removed the fine, reddish dust that coats much of the Martian surface, leaving behind a cleaner, darker surface of sands and rocks that produced the dark spot seen from orbit.

Over time, dust has settled out of the atmosphere to cover up those clean surfaces around the Insight lander and now the dark spot is barely visible as seen in the HiRISE image taken in June 2020 (left). The InSight spacecraft appears blue in both images.

ID: ESP_065218_1845
date: 25 June 2020
altitude: 272 km

https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_065218_1845
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
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