7 Tons of Human “Trash” Found on Mars – Concerned About Future Missions

The Mars Now it is full of useless man-made objects, and unfortunately there is no “trash” to collect.

Human debris of various sizes on the neighboring planet is estimated at 7,119 kilograms, or about 7.1 tons. They came from three sources over nearly 50 years exploration From the planet: discarded components, wrecked spacecraft, and those left intact but dormant and no longer operating. According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, humanity has sent 18 spacecraft on 14 separate missions. Many of them are still active, but for others Mars has become their “cemetery”.

The last “junk” that was discovered was in mid-August this year, when the US space agency (NASA) announced that its rover perseverance He discovered a piece of equipment, an interlocking clip of netting, that had been detonated as he landed.

Every mission that attempts to land on Mars smoothly has equipment (heat shield, parachute, etc.) that is discarded during the rover’s landing. When pre-landing projectiles fall to Earth, they can break up into smaller pieces, which are likely to be blown away by strong Martian winds, as was the case with the arrival of the Perseverance in 2021. In addition to this rover, like other American rovers such as the Curiosity Collision And the chance with things coming from their landings.

The second largest category of “junk” are the nine spacecraft that are currently inactive on the planet’s surface, namely: Mars Probe 3, Mars Probe 6, Viking Probe 1, Viking Probe 2, Sojourner Rover, Beagle Lander 2, Phoenix Lander, Spirit Rover and Rover Opportunities. Most of them are almost intact, so on the one hand, they can be considered historical “relics” rather than rubbish.

The third category, of wrecked ships, is best described as junk. At least two crashed, while another four were lost shortly before landing or during their descent, so it should probably be considered broken, for example because they landed faster than expected.

If we add all of the above, then – according to the calculations of roboticist Cagri Kilic of West Virginia University – all human construction that was sent to Mars will weigh up to ten tons (9,979 kg). If the weight of the spacecraft operating so far (2860 kg) is subtracted from this, then there is rubbish weighing 7,119 kg.

Trash is a concern

Some are concerned about the risks some of this debris could pose to current and future Mars missions. Can for example any roving to get involved in such garbage. Then wait for humans to take garbage trucks to the “red” planet when they colonize it.