NASA's Perseverance rover bids farewell to beloved 'pet rock' on Mars

NASA's Perseverance rover has finally lost its hitchhiking "pet rock" after more than a year together on Mars. The rock had been lodged in one of the rover's wheels for around 439 days, or 55% of the time Perseverance has spent on Mars since landing there on Feb 18, 2021. The rock posed no danger to the rover's scientific mission but did manage to periodically photobomb images and cling on despite several vigorous maneuvers across the planet's surface.