For the past 50 years, humans have sent robots and other machinery to explore Mars. These machines have either crashed or stopped working and have been just left there. As of now, there is an estimated 15,694 lbs (pounds) of trash left by human exploration.
Mars Exploration
Many different nations together have sent 18 human-made devices to Mars during 14 different missions, according to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. There are still several of these missions active.
Human Trash On Mars
The trash comes from 3 different sources, discarded hardware, inactive spacecraft, and crashed spacecraft.
NASA announced in mid-August 2022 that the Perseverance Mars rover had discovered another piece of garbage that had been thrown after landing, this time a tangled web of nets.
The combined mass of every spacecraft that has ever been deployed to Mars is around 22,000 pounds (9979 kilograms). There are 15,694 pounds (7,119 kilograms) of human waste on Mars after deducting the 6,306 pounds (2,860 kilograms) of the vessel that is now in operation on the surface.
Currently, the risk that trash on Mars poses to ongoing and upcoming missions is the top concern among scientists.
