Robot finds ‘something unexpected’ on Mars

Posted on 06/17/2022 22:13 / Updated on 06/17/2022 22:15

(credit: cloning/NASA)

Perseverance robot found on the surface of Mars “something unusual”, according to the US space agency, NASA. A silver litter trapped between the rocks caught the attention of mission officials, who said they believed it was the thermal blanket used to protect the instrument during descent.

But what impressed the scientists was that the material found was two kilometers from the landing site of the equipment, and the robot had been walking on the surface of the planet for a year. It is not known if the material fell there and remained there, or if it was pushed by the wind.

“My team discovered something unexpected: a piece of a thermal blanket they think may have come from my descent stage, the rocket-powered jetpack that dropped me on landing day in 2021,” the official Perseverance account wrote on Twitter.

My team discovered something unexpected: It’s a piece of a thermal blanket they think may have come from my descent stage, the rocket-powered jet pack that put me on my landing day in 2021. pic.twitter.com/O4rIaEABLu

– NASA Persevere on Mars (@NASAPersevere) June 15, 2022

NASA’s Mars Exploration Program mission seeks to understand the evolution of the planet and the processes that have shaped the surface of Mars over the years, as well as to assess the possibility that organisms may have existed there at some point in history.

This research could aid a manned flight to the Red Planet in the future.