on June 21, 2022 at 5:22 p.m
June 21, 2022 at 3:18 p.m
As NASA continues its research on Mars, various rovers have been sending images back to Earth. The latest found “something unexpected.”
The newest rover to hit the red planet is called Perseverance. He has been on Mars since February 18, 2021 and has already collected a lot of data. NASA has a tweet with the latest find from Perseverance posted. The best part is that they wrote it as if the rover itself tweeted.
“Something Unexpected”
Perseverance tweeted on June 15 that he found “something unexpected”. He identifies the object as a piece of metal apparently stuck between Martian rocks.
AsThe Independent reports, NASA believes the object to be “a piece of thermal blanket” likely derived from the rover’s landing on the red planet.
NASA isn’t sure how this piece of debris ended up in this area of Mars:
My landing place was about 2 km from here. Did this part end up here afterwards or was it blown by the wind?
That shiny bit of foil is part of a thermal blanket – a material used to control temperatures. It’s a surprise finding this here: My descent stage crashed about 2 km away. Did this piece land here after that, or was it blown here by the wind? pic.twitter.com/uVx3VdYfi8
— NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) June 15, 2022
Humanity’s Impact on the Planets
The fact that the rover’s landing left debris on Mars raises concerns about humanity’s impact on space. Space agencies like NASA go to great lengths to avoid polluting other planets.
To this end, the teams thoroughly clean their landing gear before they are sent into space. That means rovers looking for signs of life on different planets don’t contaminate them with terrestrial germs and bacteria they’re unfamiliar with.
sea The Independent countries are “obligated not to disturb the pristine nature of other planets”. That is not always the case, however, as some countries have circumvented international agreements and left “potentially dangerous debris in orbit”.
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Translated from English by Ohmymag UK