Nasa rover sighting reignites fears about human space debris

Mars object thought to be piece of thermal blanket from when Perseverance touched down on planet

Nasa's Perseverance rover typically beams back evocative images of bleak dusty landscapes, red-hued sandstorms and Martian rock samples. So its operators were surprised to receive an image on Monday of a shiny silver object resembling a discarded crisp packet wedged between two rocks.

The object, the Nasa team concluded, is a piece of debris discarded by the robotic craft during its touchdown in February 2021.