'I'd call for a tow': Mars Perseverance rover sounds a bit scratchy in first recorded drive

Perseverance could perhaps do with a service as Nasa experts investigate unexpectedly high-pitched scratching noise

Nasa's newest Mars rover has sent back the first-ever sounds of driving on the red planet - a grinding, clanking, banging affair that by Earth standards would be pretty worrisome.

The noises made by Perseverance's six metal wheels and suspension on the first test drive two weeks ago are part of a 16-minute raw audio feed released on Wednesday by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.