Human artifacts abandoned on Mars should be cataloged to track our migration beyond Earth

Catalog Mars artifacts to track human migration beyond Earth, says scientist.

: A call has been made to catalog human artifacts left on Mars to track humanity's interplanetary migration. Anthropologist Justin Holcomb highlighted Mars as a key site with 22,000 pounds of debris from at least sixteen missions since 1971. These artifacts provide a crucial historical record of humanity's dispersal into space, deserving preservation as cultural heritage rather than being labeled as trash. Understanding their degradation in Martian conditions poses a future challenge for planetary geoarchaeology.

There is a growing movement among scientists to create a catalog of human artifacts that have been abandoned on Mars. Led by University of Kansas anthropologist Justin Holcomb, the initiative seeks to preserve these artifacts as significant markers of humanity's initial steps into interplanetary exploration. Holcomb argues that just like early human tools and structures on Earth, these artifacts represent a critical phase in our historical timeline of migration.

Mars has become humanity's closest target for exploration in the solar system. Since 1971, 22,000 pounds of materials, including rovers, probes, and landers, have been left scattered across its surface. Key milestones include the USSR’s Mars 2 lander and the Ingenuity helicopter, the first powered flight on another planet. With Mars's complex environment, understanding how these artifacts degrade is crucial for future planetary geoarchaeology.

Holcomb stresses that these remnants should not be dismissed as mere "space trash" but should be preserved as heritage. Recognizing the value of these artifacts calls for a shift away from seeing them as litter, which implies removal, to valuing them as cultural relics deserving protection. Cataloging these artifacts will facilitate this shift and inform future Mars missions about the importance of preserving these sites.

Mars artifactsinterplanetary explorationgeoarchaeology