Recently, data collection by Mars rover Perseverance and manned exploration plans targeting the late 2030s are emerging, but Mars exploration itself has been conducted for several decades. As a result of long-term exploration, it is said that 7.1 tons of human waste is dumped on Mars.
In 1971, NASA launched the Mars rover Mariner 9 and successfully placed a satellite into orbit for the first time on Mars. A few months later, the Soviet Union sent Mars 2 to Mars and failed to land, but Lander crashed into the Martian surface. The continuous Mars 3 Lander successfully landed on the surface of Mars in less than a minute, but it was operated.
According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), countries have sent 18 artifacts to Mars in 14 missions. A mission to Mars requires a module to protect the spacecraft, but insulated shields, parachutes, and landing devices are not needed for subsequent exploration and are discarded. have.
For this reason, it is not uncommon to find human debris on the surface of Mars. In addition, a probe that was sent to Mars in the past and stopped working remains on the surface of the screen as it is. These include Mars 3 and 6, Vikings 1 and 2, Mars Pathfinder, Beagle 2, Phoenix, and Opportunity. Of course, these probes are increasingly becoming garbage from historical relics.
It is said that the total weight of objects sent to Mars so far is 22,000 pounds, or 10 tons. If the total weight of the rover currently in operation is added to the total weight of 2.9 tons, it is said that 15,694 pounds of garbage on Mars, or 7.1 tons. For this reason, scientists are concerned regarding the dangers of Martian debris to current and future missions. The perseverance team is documenting any rubbish they find and making sure they can contaminate the samples the rover collects. Related content this placecan be checked in