A small rock has become a companion to NASA’s Perseverance rover, hitching a ride for over 8.5 kilometers.
After landing in the Jezero crater in February 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover began collecting soil and rock samples on the Red Planet while searching for signs of ancient life. A year later, this six-wheeled vehicle, roughly the size of a car, unexpectedly acquired a “companion.”
Hazcams on Perseverance capturing the rock stuck in the rover’s wheel. (Photo: NASA)
In early February 2022, a small rock somehow got lodged in the left front wheel of Perseverance and has been transported over 8.5 kilometers during the past four months without being dislodged, despite the rover’s journey, NASA emphasized.
This is not the first time a Martian rock has “hitchhiked” on a NASA exploration mission. About 18 years ago, a potato-sized rock also got stuck in the right rear wheel of the Spirit rover but fell out after just a few weeks.
Simulation of the Perseverance rover searching for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. (Photo: NASA)
NASA spokesperson Andrew Good stated that the rock lodged in the front wheel of Perseverance has not caused any damage and will continue to accompany the rover for the foreseeable future. Astronomers are unsure when its journey will end.
“The rock could fall off at some point when Perseverance climbs the rim of the crater. If that happens, it will land among rocks that we expect to be very different from itself,” NASA noted.
