One era's rubbish... Call for debris from Mars landings to be preserved as 'legacy of space exploration'

While the outline of an iron-age hut or dulled remnants of a Roman sword cause excitement among archaeologists today, those of the future could be brushing Martian dust from the Curiosity rover.

- Nicola Davis

Researchers have said such instruments, as well as other forms of human activity on the red planet including landing sites and debris, must be preserved as part of the archaeological record of space exploration. "All of this material, including the trackways and even discarded pieces of this equipment, represent the material record of our species' first steps across our solar system," said Dr Justin Holcomb of the University of Kansas.

Writing in the journal Nature Astronomy, Holcomb and colleagues warn that natural weathering, meteoroid impacts, unplanned crashes, flyovers or near-site landing events put such "space heritage" at risk - adding any future accidental destruction would be permanent.

"We do not need specific missions aimed at preservation, just to design missions that consider limiting any damage to previous missions," Holcomb said, although he suggested in some cases, as on Earth, projects could continue once documentation is made.