China’s Mars exploration offers self-portrait from deep space – space travel now

China’s space agency has released images captured by a small camera ejected from space on the country’s first Mars, which shows deep space exploration as it approaches half the time of a seven-month journey from Earth to Red.

Images released by the Chinese National Space Administration on Oct. 1 show the Tianwen 1 spacecraft traveling through space black. Tianwen took a small camera to take a selfie as it moved away from motherhood.

Two wide-angle lenses were projected onto an image per second on a sortable camera. These images were sent back to Tianwen via wireless radio connection, and then downhill to ground teams in China.

In the pictures, Tianwen 1’s solar array wings and dish-shaped high-gain communication antenna are prominent. The white section of the spacecraft is the mission’s entry module and heat shield, which includes a Chinese rover designed to land on Mars and explore the surface.

A red Chinese flag is also seen on the spacecraft. There were pictures released to coincide with China’s National Day holiday to mark the 71st anniversary of communist rule.

The robot Tianwen 1 spacecraft launched on July 23 on a Long March 5 rocket, the most powerful missile in China’s navy. So far, the study has made two inter-study correction maneuvers to better maneuver its orbit toward Mars, setting a critical burn to enter orbit around the Red Planet in February.

Once in orbit, the Tianwen 1 spacecraft will inspect the candidate landing sites for two to three months.

If China rejects those victories according to plan, they will make China the third country to make a smooth landing on Mars – after the Soviet Union and the United States – and the second country to drive a robot rover on the Red Planet.

The Tiananmen 1 Orbiter, which will continue its mission after the launch of Lander and Rover, is designed to operate for at least one Mars year or about two years on Earth. Chinese officials said the lifespan of the solar-powered rover, which is fitted with six wheels, is at least 90 days.

According to Chinese scientists, the Tianwen 1 mission will conduct a global survey of Mars, measure soil and rock composition, look for signs of buried water ice, and explore the Martian magnetic field and atmosphere. The Orbiter and Rover will study Mars’ weather and the internal structure of Mars.

Tianwen 1 mission is currently one of three spacecraft heading to Mars. NASA’s Perseverance Rover and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope Orbiter launched in July and are on track to reach Mars in February.

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