Humans have already dumped 7 tonnes of junk on Mars, map reveals
Image shows landers, rovers no longer working on Mars (Image: NASA)
Mars exploration by humans using cutting-edge landers and rovers has led to the piling up of junk in space, a new map has revealed. There were two Soviet missions to the Red Planet in 1971 - Mars 2 and Mars 3. While Mars 2's orbiter successfully entered Mars orbit on November 27, 1971, its lander crashed during its descent. From that day till now,humans have been leaving their mark on Mars in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.
In the latest episode, Mars helicopter Ingenuity also suffered a setback as it was rendered incapable of flight.This incident has also contributed an additional 1.8 kilogrammes to the mounting pile of human-made debris on Mars.
The junk lying around Mars is massive, with more than seven tonnes of debris littering the Martian landscape. It includes all the discarded parachutes, and chunks of tyres, among others. Notably, amidst this debris, ongoing missions led by NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers,and China's Zhurong rover, are working to get signs of past or present life on the red planet.
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It is worth noting that operational rovers are not classified as space junk.
Dr. James Blake from the University of Warwick’s physics reportedly said, "It’s common for space missions to discard debris and rovers/helicopters sometimes come across debris fields while exploring."
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"With current technology, there’s still an unfortunate balance that needs to be struck between scientific discovery and the impact of missions on the natural environment of these remote worlds," he said adding,"It’s important that future missions are designed with sustainability in mind to ensure that the human footprint is minimised."
What missions led to increased space junk on Mars?
The junk is the result of many unfortunate missions that ended prematurely or malfunctioned. It includes the Mars 6 lander and Britain's Beagle 2, which miraculously resurfaced in 2015 on Mars after years of being missing in action.
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The journey of Mars exploration has witnessed both successes and setbacks. Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which exceeded their initial 90-day missions, provided groundbreaking insights into Mars' wetter past and its potential to sustain microbial life. Missions like NASA's ambitious Polar Lander were lost in 1999.
(With inputs from agencies)