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Did someone leave a communicator badge lying on Mars?
NASA’s long-running Curiosity rover mission just spotted a familiar shape to “Star Trek” fans: The iconic delta-shaped emblem that Starfleet officers typically wear on their uniforms. Unfortunately, it would be highly illogical to say that a Starfleet landing party walked near Curiosity’s roving grounds, as the image was of a mere Mars rock that just so happens to resemble the “Star Trek” symbol.
The image was originally posted on the Mars Curiosity raw images site provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It was taken with the rover’s left navigation camera on Mars day, or Sol, 4062 of the mission on Jan. 9.
Amateur astronomer Scott Atkinson spotted the Trekkkie symbol and joked about it on X, formerly Twitter. “I bet the Star Trek fans on the @MarsCuriosity team smiled like Cheshire Cats when they saw this new image appear on their screens,” Atkinson posted on Jan. 10, alongside the image and a close-up of the delta sign.
Related: It Wasn’t the first time: NASA spacecraft spots ‘Star Trek’ logo on Mars
This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.
