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The Chinese space probe Tianwen-1 has made a successful landing on the planet Mars. The Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) reported on it. China is the third country to land a spacecraft on the Red Planet. At the heart of Tianwen-1’s mission is the Zhurong space car, which is set to explore the surface of Mars.
Previously, the Soviet Union and the United States had also successfully landed space probes on Mars. However, China will become the second country after the United States to be able to drive a vehicle on the planet.
God of fire
Zhurong – named after a fire god of the same name in Chinese mythology – was launched last July with the Tianwen-1 space probe. In February reached the mission after a journey of about 320 million kilometers Mars.
As the spacecraft circled the planet, the chosen landing site Utopia Planitia – a 3,300-kilometer-wide crater plain in the planet’s northern hemisphere – was investigated in more detail.
From his new base, Zhurong must search for traces that could indicate the presence of water and life. At least ninety days of walking are allocated to this operation. A day on Mars is called Sol and lasts a total of 24 hours and 39 minutes.
Zhurong weighs around 240 kilograms and is powered by expanded solar panels. The robot car is also equipped with a camera, which is to take images of the planet’s surface and send them to Earth.
It is believed that Utopia Planitia once encompassed an ocean. A gigantic mass of ice could still be present in the environment below the surface. In addition, the mission should collect information on the composition of local rock formations and the general state of the environment, with particular attention to weather and climate conditions.
Perseverance
The United States has already successfully deployed a marching explorer five times. This last happened in February this year, when the space probe landed on Perseverance. the surface of the planet could be reported.
The Perseverance, Viking 2 and Insight probes are closest to Zhurong. A little further on are the landing sites of Curiosity and Spirit. Further on, Opportunity, Pathfinder, Viking 1 and Phoenix foot at the bottom of the planet to put.
Russia also attempted in the early 1970s to explore the surface of Mars with a vehicle.
However, on landing, the Russian spacecraft got caught in a sandstorm, possibly damaging the instruments. As a result, the Russian scout on the march could never be ordered to finish.
