The first mission of the Chinese rover Zhurong has been successfully completed, new tasks are next
Almost two weeks ago, or more precisely, on August 15, the Chinese Mars rover Zhurong completed one of his research missions, which lasted 90 Martian sol or 92 Earth days, passing on the plain of Utopia. But as reported by the China Space Administration (CNSA), this was not the last exploration of the Red Planet.
What the rover did during the mission
At the very beginning of its expedition on May 14, the rover took selfies, as well as photographs of the landing platform. Then he covered a distance equal to 889 meters on the surface of Mars, passing his landing equipment along the way. Further, the rover began to collect material for transmission to Earth and their further research.
And he collects materials, as scientists suggest, in an area below the coastline, where, possibly, there was an ancient ocean on
South of the Utopia Plain. And in the photo below you can see the path that the rover traveled during its mission.Today 6 devices Zhurong work without deviations. Using an orbital station Tianwen 1, which is used as a transmitter, the rover was able to transmit 10 GB of data to Earth, which will allow better understanding of the Red Planet, as well as its past.
So according to the chief designer of the system Tianwen 1, the data provided by the Chinese rover will allow not only to better understand the geology of the Red Planet, but also to evaluate the likelihood of whether in the future scientists will be able to find evidence of the existence of the oldest ocean on the plain Utopia.
Why does the expedition end
During a mission to Mars, the above orbital station flew over the site of the rover's collection of materials and thus transmitted information to Earth. But from mid-September to the end of October, both the rover and the station will go into "standby" mode due to the position of the planets (Earth and Mars) relative to our Sun.
During this time interval, the transmission of data due to solar activity and the peculiarities of the location of the planets will be impossible. American rovers will also be suspended for the same reason from October 2-14.
After the planets change their position relative to the Sun, the work of the Zhurong rover will resume again, but at another object located 1.6 km further from the Utopia plain. And the orbital station, after establishing communication, will again continue to work together with the rover, transmitting data to the Earth.
The study of the Red Planet is in full swing and what will be possible to learn about Mars in the future is anyone's guess.
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