Chinese space probe sends first photo of Mars

Machine, Launched from China at the end of July, it is expected in the suburbs on March 10th and February 10th. The first photo taken of Earth from the Red Planet this Friday, January 5, shows a gas mass and similar to craters. The black and white photo was taken at a distance of about 2.2 million kilometers from Mars, according to the Chinese space agency.

CNSA reports that the photo shows the Valls Marineris (valleys near the red planet’s equator), Schiaparelli (a wide depression) and the plain Acetalia Planitia.

The wheelless robot involved in the investigation is expected to be sent to Mars in May.

Tianwen-1 is made up of three components: an orbiter (which orbits the star), a lander and a wheel remote control robot (responsible for analyzing the ground).

Mapping the planet

The wheelless robot involved in the investigation is expected to be sent to Mars in May. Weighing in at 200kg it has four solar panels and is expected to operate for three months. Among its tasks: conducting soil and atmospheric analyzes, taking photographs or contributing to the map of the red planet.

Ambitiously, China hopes to do in this first independent attempt to explore Mars everything the United States has achieved on many Mars since the 1960s. That is, a controlled robot that can place a probe in orbit, present a lander, and then bring out a remote.

The work is named “Tianwen-1” (“Questions for the Sky-1”) in honor of an ancient Chinese poem on astronomy.