NASA said on Tuesday that its Mars InSight lander has encountered some problems and has stopped digging, likely due to hitting a rock or some gravel. The government space agency said the heat probe, also known as a "mole," on the $828 million lander is at a 15-degree tilt and no "significant progress" was seen after a second bout of hammering on March 2. NASA'S INSIGHT MARS LANDER REVEALS STUNNINGLY CLEAR PICTURES OF THE RED PLANETThe lander's probe first started hammering into the soil on Feb. 28 and got approximately three-fourths of the way out of its housing before it stopped. "The team will be conducting further heating tests this week to measure the thermal conductivity of the upper surface," NASA JPL said in the statement. Mars' moon Phobos will pass in front of the Sun several times this week; like a cloud passing overhead, the eclipse will darken and cool the ground around InSight," the agency continued.

Source: Fox News March 06, 2019 15:33 UTC