Nasa’s Perseverance rover is carrying a message written in Morse code to Mars.
The message, etched into an aluminium plate on the side of the rover at first glance appears to be an abstract image of a sun, but closer examination reveals a hidden message written in Morse code.
The photo of the rover was released to draw attention to a trio of chips next to the plate which hold the name of almost 11 million science fans who participated in the “Send Your Name to Mars” campaign.
However, eagle-eyed social media users spotted that the image was actually a Morse code message that read “Explore As One”.
Nasa’s Perseverance Mars Rover’s official Twitter account acknowledged the message in a post on Tuesday.
“Some of you spotted the special message I’m carrying to Mars along with the 10.9+ million names you all sent in. “Explore As One” is written in Morse code in the Sun’s rays, which connect our home planet with the one I’ll explore. Together, we persevere,” they wrote.
The rover is still scheduled to leave for it’s scheduled launch date this July, despite field-wide disruptions by the coronavirus.
The rover is expected to land on Mars in February 2021 with the secret message and the millions of microchipped names in tow.
It is set to study Mars and search for signs of past life by collecting samples from the planet's surface.
