The Insight lander is to drill into the surface of Mars and gather samples to help understand how the Red Planet was formed.
Keystone
A seismometer controlled with Swiss-developed electronics will be on board when NASA’s “InSight” lander sets off on an exploration mission from California to Mars on May 5.
This content was published on
1 minute
RTS/jc
العربية
ar
أليكترونيات سويسرية تُسهم في مهمّة جديدة لاستكشاف المريخ
InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) is the first mission dedicated to studying the rock structure of Mars. It is due to last two years – one Martian year – and aims to improve understanding of how rocky planets including Earth are formed and develop.
The aim is notably to determine whether the core of the Red Planet is solid or liquid and why its surface is not composed of moving tectonic plates like Earth.
The NASA probe will carry a seismic measuring instrument built under the lead of France together with Germany, Switzerland, the UK and the US. TheFederal Institute of Technology in Zurich, working with private industry, developed the electronic brain of the seismometer. Thus Switzerland is “once again part of a space mission from which ground-breaking results are expected”, said a government press releaseExternal link.
More
More
Swiss camera set to capture life on Mars
This content was published on
In 2021, a European rover is set to roll over the surface of Mars in the search for traces of life. At its heart is a Swiss camera.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Abbot of Saint-Maurice steps down following sex abuse report
This content was published on
Jean Scarcella has decided to step down as Abbot of Saint-Maurice in the Swiss canton of Valais, the abbey announced on Saturday.
Philipp Matthias Bregy named new president of Centre Party
This content was published on
Valais National Councillor Philipp Matthias Bregy is the new President of the Centre Party. The delegates elected him as the successor to Gerhard Pfister on Saturday in Bern without discussion.
Global call for active neutrality launched from Geneva
This content was published on
A number of players have launched a worldwide appeal for active neutrality in Geneva at a time when the major powers are taking a tougher line. The city is competing with Vienna to attract an international congress on this issue in 2026.
This content was published on
The M'Tongé gorilla has died at Basel Zoo at the age of 26. The dominant male had to be euthanised on Friday morning owing to a parasite infection.
This content was published on
Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, has been invited to Paris by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Swiss canton coordinates donations for landslide destroyed village
This content was published on
The Swiss canton of Valais to form committee to coordinate CHF 57.4 million donations for village destroyed by a landslide.
Body of Blatten landslide victim found and identified
This content was published on
The body of 64-year-old man, who has been missing since part of the Brich glacier collapsed on the Swiss village of Blatten has been found.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
European satellite data will make 3D galaxy map possible
This content was published on
The mission is led by the European Space AgencyExternal link (ESA) and was launched in 2013, mainly to track and determine the position, movement, and distance of stars in our galaxy. The second batch of information gleaned by Gaia – after a first harvest in 2016 that spawned 800 scientific articles in the space of…
This content was published on
Diamonds in a meteorite that exploded over Sudan in 2008 provide compelling evidence of an early ‘lost planet’, scientists say.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.