A Random Reminder That NASA Drew a Big Ol’ Dick on the Surface of Mars

Maggie Harrison Dupré
·1 min read
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Never Forget

Where were you when NASA's Spirit rover drew a dick in Martian dust?

For nearly 70 years, NASA — often with help from international friends — has been charting human history in the cosmos. Landing men on the Moon! Sending the Juno spacecraft to Jupiter! Launching the science-accelerating Hubble Space Telescope, and then vaulting the extraordinary James Webb Space Telescope into the heavens to change the game once again!

There's one particular NASA moment, though, that some (us) would hate to see lost to the annals of history: that time 20 years ago when the Spirit rover (may it rest in peace) carved an undeniably phallic shape into Mars' surface.

Science... it's amazing. File under: leaps for mankind.

https://twitter.com/DeShawnstantine/status/796743345477447680

Spirit's Legacy

As a 2013 report from NBC notes, Spirit drew its iconic Martian phallus back in 2004, shortly after landing on the dusty Red Planet alongside sister rover Opportunity. And fascinatingly, Spirit isn't the only rover to carve a phallic figure on our neighboring planet's surface; the tracks are actually the result of a standard rover turning maneuver, and both Opportunity and the next-generation Curiosity rover, which landed in 2012, were known to make similar markings with their wheels.

That's right, everyone — Mars hasn't just been home to one instance of penile graffiti, but several. Incredible stuff.

Of course, the legacy of Spirit, its sister craft, and the rovers that have followed are far greater than one 20-year-old image. These crafts have captured an incredible amount of data that's helped mankind better understand Earth's fascinating cosmic neighbor, a feat that may aid future crewed Mars missions.

And also, they draw dicks. What more could we ask for?

More on Mars rovers: Here's What NASA's Rovers See During an Eclipse on Mars