A NASA rover just found trash on Mars

The deepest part of the ocean is 35,700 feet deep. Trash is on Mars.

NASA's Perseverance rover spotted landing debris in a jagged rock while looking for signs of past life on the Red Planet. The space agency used thermal material to protect the Perseverance spaceship from extreme temperatures as it traveled to Mars.

A piece of a thermal blanket that may have come from my descent stage, the rocket-powered jet pack that set me down on landing day back in 2021, was spotted by my team.

Foil from thermal material used on the Perseverance spacecraft that the rover found trapped in a rock. Credit: NASA

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There is a question as to how the foil-like debris found its way to this region in Mars' Jezero Crater.

Was this piece blown here by the wind or did it land here?

The Perseverance rover made a successful landing on Mars. A heat shield, a supersonic parachute, and a rocket-powered sky crane were dropped on the rover as it descended. The car-sized robot has already rumbled by its parachute, so it's not terribly surprising that the rover now stumbles by more landing debris.

Perseverance has very little time to look at trash. As it enters the prime of its mission, it explores a dried-up riverdelta in the Jezero crater. NASA's planetary scientists think this area was filled with water 3 billion years ago.

One of the best places for the rover to look for signs of past life is the Delta.