Robot from China starts exploring Mars – Multimedia

China’s National Space Administration (ANEC) has confirmed that the robot began exploring the surface of the red planet today, a week after it landed aboard the probe that transported it. The car began to roll on the Martian surface at 14:00 in Beijing (03:40 in Lisbon).

The Chinese mission is one of the most ambitious in the country as it took advantage of the same Mars launch window that NASA used for Mars 2020, where it has already managed to place a Perseverance helicopter and Ingenuity on Martian land. He left Earth in June 2020, and after more than two months orbiting the planet, he received an “amarthagem” after the horror moments that are always associated with this phase of the mission.

The rover landed on Utopia Planitia, a plain located in the northern hemisphere of Mars, and NASA provided a map showing the location of all explorers on planet earth.

The mission is expected to last at least 90 Martian days (about three Earth months), during which it will transmit high-resolution 3D images through a probe in orbit around the planet, analyze the composition of Jurong’s surface and look for traces of frozen water, among other things.

Jurong develops a maximum speed of 200 meters per hour and can overcome obstacles up to 30 centimeters, as well as climb slopes with an inclination of up to 20 degrees.

The first pictures on Mars

Since landing on the ground to Marche, the probe has conducted checks, but also shared photos. There is a color image, black and white image and animation produced by the company China Space Agency, having witnessed the contact of the Jurong rover with the earth of Mars. Both photographs show a piece of equipment on Martian soil.

The color image was captured by a navigation camera mounted at the rear of the Jurong, which shows part of the rover’s solar panels and communications system.

The black and white photograph was taken by a different camera, whose function is to help avoid obstacles along the route and which is installed in front of the rover, also shows part of the planet and the descent ramp of the lander. The animation shows the moment when the rover detached from the probe to position itself on the surface of Mars.

So far, only NASA has conducted exploration missions to Mars, such as the one currently underway, and the star of which is the Perseverance rover and its Ingenuity helicopter., you only successfully complete your fifth exploration adventure… Thus, this is the moment that sets another record for China in space exploration.

Zhurong himself begins a research mission with the support of his six navigation instruments, collecting information about the state of the planet.

The Tianwen-1 mission reached Mars orbit in February, after six months of flight. passed three months of observation of the red planet from its orbit and in May went to the next stage of the mission: the landing of the Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars. It took several days to check the instruments, and now everything seems to be ready for exploration on the ground.

Jurong consists of six wheels and is covered with four solar panels. He weighs about 240 pounds. For more information on the Thiane-1 mission, see the image gallery.

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