It seems like the NASA Mars Perseverance Rover is no longer alone in space anymore. As seen in photographs, it seems like the Rover has picked up a new pet, a rock.
How the Mars Perseverance Rover is Built
According to the story by SciTech Daily, the popular Mars Perseverance Rover is equipped with six wheels. Each of its wheels comes with its own individual motor.
The wheels of the Perseverance Rover are reportedly made of aluminum with certain titanium components. The materials make them strong enough to be able to withstand scraping and bumping from space rocks.
New Traveling Companion for the Mars Perseverance Rover
It seems like it's been a while since the Mars Perseverance Rover picked up a companion. For the past four months, the Rover picked up a rock that has been a part of its long and lonely journey.
The rock reportedly found its way into the front left wheel of the Rover and since then, it has been hitching a ride and has already been transported for over 5.3 miles. Luckily, the rock hasn't done any damage to the wheel.
Rock Found Making Periodic Appearances on the Rover
Throughout its whole journey, the rock has managed to cling to the wheel and even made "periodic appearances" on the Rover's Hazcam images. This actually isn't the first time that rock was found hitching a ride on a Mars Rover mission.
Eighteen years ago, another rock that was the size of potato found its way into the rear right wheel of the Spirit Rover, according to NASA. The previous rock, however, had to be dislodged from the Rover.
Read Also: NASA's Ingenuity Loses Its Direction on Mars, Could It be The End for the Chopper?
Other Instances of Rocks Traveling with the Rovers
In another instance, the Curiosity Rover's front right wheel has "periodically picked up" other traveling companions of its own. It is unclear, however, where the rocks were stuck since they tend to hop on and off within a matter of weeks.
The current companion of the Perseverance, however, is still on its way to start setting records when it comes to hitch-hiking with the Mars Rover. Since this is the first time a rock has traveled on a Rover for a long period of time, it could be quite a significant feat, especially if the rock one day makes its way to Earth.
As per its NASA page, the Mars Perseverance Rover was initially launched on July 30, 2020, and landed on the Mars Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021. The main job of the Rover is to be able to seek signs of ancient life as well as collect samples of regolith and rock to potentially bring back to Earth in order for scientists to study.
Related Article: Weird Object on Mars: NASA Curiosity Rover Spots Strange Twisting Rock Towers
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Written by Urian B.
