Mars could also be 300 million kilometers away, however it’s not trash-proof. Though no people inhabit Mars, there may be already at the least one piece of trash dotting the Purple Planet in response to the Twitter account for NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover.
NASA took one other massive step in area exploration and science final yr when the Perseverance landed on Mars, becoming a member of 4 different rovers: Sojourner, Spirit, Alternative and Curiosity. Sadly, with this new area touchdown got here a primary for our photo voltaic system’s fourth planet from the solar: unintended particles. NASA tweeted that its workforce had noticed one thing surprising within the type of a thermal blanket.
NASA believes the thermal blanket might have come unfastened throughout Perseverance’s descent part when it landed in 2021. The thermal blanket, used to manage temperatures, was a shocking discovery for NASA. Why? As a result of he was discovered caught in opposition to a rock about two kilometers from the place the final rover got here down.
NASA additionally pulled again the curtain to point out off the rover’s pre-launch with its workforce of “spacecraft tailors” adorning the rover in mentioned thermal blankets.
Right here is a few of the JPL workforce that wrapped me in thermal blankets. Consider them as spaceship seamstresses. They work with stitching machines and different instruments to place these distinctive supplies collectively.
Extra info right here: https://t.co/CNkUheYFnQ pic.twitter.com/PcMeow3FyO
— NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover (@NASAPersevere) June 15, 2022
NASA’s exploration of Mars has led to some thrilling discoveries. Perseverance’s touchdown final yr made it the primary microphone-equipped rover to the touch down, resulting in a number of audio and video recordings of the planet’s floor. Most of NASA’s rovers additionally make the months-long journey to the Purple Planet adorned with a lot of aesthetically pleasing Easter eggs – starting from the sensible to the playful.
Casey is a contract author for IGN. You’ll be able to often discover him speaking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.