China became the third country to deliver the rover to the surface of the Red Planet
The first Chinese mission to explore Mars is being successfully implemented, China became the third country that managed to deliver an automatic station to the surface of the Red Planet.
The landing of the descent module with the Zhuzhong rover (the god of fire) was made on May 15, 2021. Departure of the module from orbit and reaching the surface of Mars took eight minutes, the device landed in the area of the Utopia plain in the northern hemisphere of the planet. A probe remained in orbit, which will perform communication functions and transmit data received both from the surface and from orbit to the Earth.
The rover (rover) delivered to the surface, according to the plans of Chinese scientists, will have to work on Mars for about three months, collecting data on the soil, atmosphere and magnetic fields of the planet. "Chzhuzhong" is a six-wheeled vehicle weighing 240 kg, capable of moving on the surface at a speed of 200 meters per hour. It is equipped with four solar panels and is capable of hibernating in adverse weather conditions.
The Chinese probe for exploration of Mars "Tianwen-1" ("Questions to the sky") was sent to Mars on July 23, 2020. The total weight of "Tianwen-1" reaches 5 tons, of which 1,3 tons are the weight of the descent module, 3,7, XNUMX tons is the weight of the orbital station, which is in the orbit of the planet.
As stated, the main goal of the mission is to search for possible signs of life on Mars. In addition, Chinese scientists want to understand whether conditions on this planet can change in the future so that it becomes suitable for human life.
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