NASA's Mars rover has a new rock pet

NASA's Perseverance rover turns into a vehicle to transport Martian rocks. In 2022 one of them hit into the rover's left front wheel, and it's still there. And at the end of February, a fellow traveler joined him.

A larger stone, but already in the right front wheel, was noticed by astrophotographer Simeon Shmaus. On his Twitter he published images of both "pets" taken by the Perseverance (Hazard Camera) cameras, which are installed at the bottom of the rover.

HazCams help keep track of the terrain the rover is moving over and are also useful for wheel monitoring. Now, as it turned out, for tracking stone companions.

The image with the new rock was first transmitted by the rover on February 27. The close-up photo, although very shaded, was sent by the camera on March 1st.

NASA said last year that a rock hitting Perseverance "poses no danger." The agency has not yet commented on the second case.