Our Martian heritage must be preserved, say leading scientists | Mars
Just as the outline of an iron-age hut or remains of a Roman sword cause excitement today, archaeologists of the future could be brushing Martian dust off metal and marvelling at one of Nasa’s rovers.Researchers have said that such instruments, as well as other forms of human activity on Mars, including landing sites and debris, must be preserved as part of the archaeological record of space exploration.“All of this material, including the trackways and even discarded pieces of this equipment, represent the material record of our species’ first steps across our solar system,” said Dr Justin Holcomb, of the University of Kansas.Writing in the journal Nature Astronomy, Holcomb and colleagues say natural weathering, meteoroid impacts, unplanned crashes, flyovers or near-site landing events pu...
