The first Chinese spacecraft to explore the red planet on Mars _ Channel_CTV (cctv.com)

Beijing, May 22 (Xinhua). China’s first Mars rover, the Sorang, slipped from its landing pads on the surface of Mars on Saturday, leaving the country’s first “footprints” on the Red Planet.

The first successful sorghum campaign made China the second country after the United States to land a rover on Mars.

The six-wheeled solar-powered spacecraft, which weighs 240 kg and resembles a blue butterfly, reached the red sand foot of Mars on a slow landing bend and set off from the sun to explore the fourth planet. . .

According to telemetry data, Jurang landed his wheels on Mars at 10:40 a.m. (Beijing time) on Saturday, according to the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA).

The Chinese Tianwen-1 mission, which includes Orbiter, Lander and Rover, was launched on July 23, 2020. The rover landed on May 15 in the southern hemisphere of utopia Planetia, a vast plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars.

Jurong Rover is named after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology. The name corresponds to the Chinese name Hooksing (Fire Planet), while the mission name Tianwen means Questions for the Sky and the title of a poem written by the ancient Chinese poet Xu Yuan (340-278 BC). .

With a lifespan of at least 90 Mars days (approximately three months on Earth), Jurong will record the view of Mars in high-resolution 3D images, analyze the physical structure of the planet’s surface, and reveal its underground and magnetic structure. Look for traces of water and snow and observe the surrounding weather.

It has a number of scientific instruments, including a terrain camera, a multispectral camera, an underground spy radar, a surface compound detector, a magnetic field detector and a meteorologist.

At a design age of about one Mars year (about 687 days on Earth), the orbiter sends communications to the rover as it makes its scientific discoveries.

Compared to the Chinese lunar block Yute (Jade Rabbit), Jurong has a speed of about 200 meters per hour, but the height of the obstacles it can cross has increased from 20 cm to 30 cm. It can climb slopes up to 20 degrees. According to their designers, Jurong’s six wheels operate independently of each other.

Five spacecraft are stationed on the surface of Mars in the United States. Arriving late, Jurong has unique qualities.

It is the first spacecraft on Mars with an active suspension system. Jia Yang, deputy chief designer of the Tianwen-1 study at the Chinese Academy of Aerospace Technology, said it would help avoid rover problems by moving an inch above the surface of complex Mars with loose sandy soil and densely spaced rocks. .

Jurong can walk sideways like crabs. Each of its six wheels can turn in any direction to avoid obstacles and climb slopes.

Mars is more from the Sun than Earth and the Moon, and the Mars atmosphere reduces sunlight, so the solar panels on the Mars rover are twice as large as those in the lunar module. Jing Yan, an official at the CNSA Center for Lunar Exploration and Space Programs, said it should be rotating to monitor the sun.

Sorong’s solar panels are specifically designed for sunlight on Mars, which has a different spectrum than those in Earth’s orbit.

Mars is famous for its sandstorms, which make dust power generation less efficient. Zheng said specially treated solar panels are difficult to collect dust on, as water droplets can be blown into the air by lotus leaves.

Some of the energy generated by solar panels is used for daytime work, while the rest is stored in batteries for night use.

In addition, the designers have creatively installed heat collection windows on the rover that can absorb solar energy during the day and provide heat at night, so that the rover can withstand freezing temperatures as low as 100 degrees Celsius at dawn.