NASA's Perseverance Rover Found Unexpected Trash on Mars: How Did the Piece of Metal Reach There?

There is trash in the deepest parts of the ocean and even in the most remote place on Earth. But what surprised scientists more were the raw images sent by NASA's Perseverance rover showing an odd, striking landscape on Mars with a piece of metal.

A scrap of material looks unusual on the Red Planet, where no human has ever set foot. However, given the number of scientific explorations sent to the Red Planet, the foil was later confirmed to have come from one of those missions. NASA shared the photo via Twitter and explained how the unexpected object ended there.

A Trash on Mars

The official Twitter account of NASA's Perseverance rover tweeted Wednesday about a foil they spotted in a jagged rock on Mars. According to them, it was a piece of a thermal blanket that may have come from the rover's descent stage back in 2021 as its rocket-powered jet pack set it down.

They added that it was a bit of surprise given that the descent stage crashed about 1.2 miles (2 km) from where they found the foil, which either landed there after the descent or was blown away by the wind.

The news outlet WUSA9 explained that the thermal blanket was a material NASA used to protect the spacecraft carrying the Perseverance rover from the extreme temperatures of space as it journeyed from Earth to Mars, plummeting through the Martian atmosphere.

The perseverance rover is the largest and most advanced rover from NASA. It is the ninth spacecraft that the American space agency successfully landed on Mars, which touched down near an ancient river delta where it was set to collect rock samples in search of signs of life on the planet.

But aside from the Perseverance rover, NASA also has two other functioning spacecraft on the Martian surface. Both Curiosity rover and InSight lander are still contributing to scientific discoveries since they were launched. However, the InSight lander has made headlines for its imminent dusty demise that might happen soon.

NASA Explores River Delta

But Perseverance rover did not have much time to admire the trash as it is now entering the prime of its mission on the Red Planet. The rover is exploring a dried-up river delta in the Jezero Crater that planetary scientists in NASA believed could have been filled with water about 3 billion years ago.

"This delta is one of the best locations on Mars for the rover to look for signs of past microscopic life," NASA said.

The Perseverance rover has been collecting rock samples using a drill on the end of its robotic arm and a complex collection system in its belly. These samples are set to be sent to Earth as the first part of the Mars Sample Return campaign.

Ken Farley of Caltech, Perseverance's project scientist, said that the delta river is so important in the mission that they have decided for the rover to minimize science activities and focus on driving to get there as soon as possible. The rover will take photos along the way, like the photographed trash it recently sent, until it reaches the delta river.

Check out more news and information on Perseverance Rover in Science Times.