Mars rover spots shiny human garbage on the red planet

While it looks like someone threw out their fast food wrapper on Mars' surface, scientists say there's another explanation.

Humans have managed to leave litter on Mars despite never stepping foot on the planet.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover spotted an unexpected piece of trash on the red planet, a shiny object wedged between two pieces of rock, according to a report from the space agency Wednesday.

In a series of posts to Twitter, the Perseverance team shared that they’d spotted what is believed to be a piece of thermal blanket that was used to protect the rover from extreme temperatures during its landing.

“It’s a surprise finding this here: My descent stage crashed about 2 km away. Did this piece land here after that, or was it blown here by the wind?” read a follow-up post.

The rover has been on a mission since it landed on Mars in February 2021, exploring the planet’s Jezero crater for signs of life.

It’s not the first time human space junk has been spotted on the surface of Mars, however. In April, the Ingenuity helicopter captured an aerial view of the landing gear that was left behind when the Perseverance made landing, reports Business Insider.