This image obtained from NASA and taken by the Mars Perseverance rover on July 12, 2022, show what appear to be string on the red planet. - Is it tumbleweed? A piece of fishing line? Spaghetti? A tangled object discovered by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover has intrigued space watchers, leaving some wondering about the quality of Italian dining on the Red Planet.
But the most plausible explanation is more prosaic: it's likely remnants of a component used to lower the robotic explorer to the Martian surface in February 2021. (Photo by Handout / NASA/JPL-Caltech / AFP)