NASA Mars mission suspended by a technical default – CNN in Spanish

(CNN) -. NASA has left on indefinite hold its next mission to Mars because of a faulty instrument

The space agency had planned for a March release new probe to Mars, called InSight, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

It was expected that InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (inner exploration using research seismic, geodetic and heat transport), reached Mars in September to take action inside the red planet and its atmosphere, and take color images.

Instead, it is sent back its manufacturer Lockheed Martin in Denver, Colorado.

The defective instrument is a sensitive seismometer designed to measure movements in the Martian soil as small as the diameter of an atom, NASA said in a statement . The device is provided by the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) of France.

NASA says that the instrument requires a vacuum seal around its three main sensors to protect them from the harsh conditions on Mars . The agency said Monday during testing in extremely cold temperatures, the instrument failed to keep the gap.

“The theme of the vacuum is all that stands between us and the launch,” said Bruce Banerdt, the principal investigator of InSight at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told CNN.

“We do not believe that this is a fundamentally difficult problem, since it has enough time to investigate and resolve it so systematic “he said. “The French space agency estimates that a few months should be sufficient, but probably will take a little longer to make sure no other hidden subtle problem there.”

Even if the leak is fixed in a few months, the InSight probe may be launched soon. The 2016 launch window closes on March 30, NASA said.

“Everything else about the mission is ready and we are already beginning to work towards the possibility of continuing to Mars in the next orbital opportunity in 2018, “Banerdt said.

Banerdt says it is natural that he and the team feel sorry for the mishap.

” While I personally have been working for 25 years to make these measurements on Mars, the real mission InSight project has only been running since 2009, “he said. “The entire project team has been giving their best for many months to try to reach this opportunity to release, so, understandably, we are disappointed.”