NASA’s Perseverance rover loses its hitchhiking ‘pet rock’ after more than a year together on Mars

After greater than a 12 months collectively on the Pink Planet, NASA’s Perseverance rover and its hitchhiking “pet rock” have lastly parted methods. The stone had been lodged in one of many rover’s wheels for greater than half of its mission on Mars.

Perseverance unintentionally picked up the pet rock in its entrance left wheel on Feb. 4, 2022 or Sol 341 — the 341st Martian day of the mission. The rock posed no hazard to the rover’s scientific mission however did handle to periodically photobomb photographs and cling on regardless of a number of vigorous maneuvers throughout the planet’s floor. Mission scientists beforehand likened the state of affairs to “having a pebble caught in your shoe.”