Like the movies, missions sometimes fall apart. Luckily, this Martian problem was detected on Earth where repairs are easier.
The March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission will be delayed until a reoccurring leak has been properly repaired. The leak relates to a seismometer that requires a vacuum seal around its three main sensors to survive on the Red Planet's surface.
The InSight mission was designed to study Mar's interior. NASA notes:
InSight's investigation of the Red Planet's interior is designed to increase understanding of how all rocky planets, including Earth, formed and evolved,” said Bruce Banerdt, InSight Principal Investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California. “Mars retains evidence about the rocky planets' early development that has been erased on Earth by internal churning Mars lacks. Gaining information about the core, mantle and crust of Mars is a high priority for planetary science, and InSight was built to accomplish this."
Given the 26 months between a good launch window to Mars, the team may have plenty of time to ponder and resolve the leak.
