--- title: "NASA Says “Foreign Object Debris” Briefly Stuck to Its Mars Helicopter" description: "Martian Toilet Paper NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has spotted some strange junk briefly hanging from one of its landing legs like an errant piece of toilet paper — and we still don't know where it came from. \"There's something on your foot, Mars Helicopter!\" the official Twitter account of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab wrote. \"We’re […]" date: "2022-10-03" modified: "2022-10-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-foreign-object-debris-mars-helicopter" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "ingenuity" - "mars helicopter" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # NASA Says “Foreign Object Debris” Briefly Stuck to Its Mars Helicopter ![NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has spotted some strange junk briefly hanging from one of its landing legs like an errant piece of toilet paper.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Martian Toilet Paper NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter spotted some strange junk briefly hanging from one of its landing legs like an errant piece of extraterrestrial toilet paper — and we still don't know where it came from. "There's something on your foot, Mars Helicopter!" [wrote]() NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. "We’re looking into a bit of debris that ended up on Ingenuity's foot during its latest aerial commute." It's the latest in a string of mysterious jetsam — most if not all likely originating from NASA's various [robotic explorers and their landing gear]() — littering the Martian landscape, a sign we're leaving a [definitive mark on the planet's surface](). https://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/1576008337606422528 ## Foreign Object Debris According to a [very short NASA statement](), the helicopter snapped images of a "small piece of foreign object debris" during its 33rd flight, which took place over the weekend. The small object wasn't visible during Ingenuity's preceding flight. Footage shows the straggling, cloth-like object hanging onto one of the helicopter's four legs during lift off before harmlessly drifting away. NASA says that the "Ingenuity and Perseverance Mars 2020 teams are currently working to determine the source of the debris." ## Shake It Off The small four-pound helicopter has surpassed all expectations and is still embarking on flights almost a year and a half after its [maiden voyage](). And that's bound to be a huge strain on its hardware. While we're still unsure of the foreign object's origins, it fortunately doesn't sound like it's going to slow the little helicopter down. "All telemetry from the flight and a post-flight search and transfer are nominal and show no indication of vehicle damage," NASA wrote in its update. **READ MORE:** [NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Spots Foreign Object Debris on Mars]() \[NASA\] **More on Ingenuity:** *[New Video Shows Mars Helicopter Screaming Across Alien]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()