Tianwen-1 Chinese Mars orbiter and rover

Good news that the rover is now active and now down on the surface of Mars.
 
The Rover drop a Camera to make a Selfie
E3keOmUUUAI6lF3


Lander
E3kePA4VkAINIBw
 
The beacon (and black box) was encapsulated in a hardened casing designed to survive a Mach 2 impact with the Martian surface (the article notes that parachute and retrorocket deployment were considered the riskiest components of the EDL). In the event of a crash, the black-box would return telemetry for the benefit of future missions, and perhaps a little scientific data as well so the Chinese could technically claim to have put a crasher probe on Mars for a few days (until the battery ran out).

Extensive testing was performed to develop the black-box, apparently involving firings out of some sort of cannon.
 
"Surface characteristics of the Zhurong Mars rover traverse at Utopia Planitia" by Ding et al.

ABSTRACT

China’s Mars rover, Zhurong, touched down on Utopia Planitia in the northern lowlands of Mars (109.925° E, 25.066° N) in May 2021, and has been conducting in situ investigations of the landing area in conjunction with the Tianwen-1 orbiter. Here we present surface properties derived from the Zhurong rover’s traverse during the first 60 sols of rover operations. Our analysis of the rover’s position from locomotion data and camera imagery over that time shows that the rover traversed 450.9 m southwards over a flat surface with mild wheel slippage. Soil parameters determined by terramechanics, which observes wheel–terrain interactions, indicate that the topsoil has high bearing strength and cohesion. The soil’s equivalent stiffness is estimated to range from 1,390 to 5,872 kPa per mN, and the internal friction angle ranges from 21° to 34° under a cohesion of 1.5 to 6 kPa. Aeolian bedforms in the area are primarily transverse aeolian ridges, indicating northeastern local wind directions. Surface rocks imaged by the rover cameras show evidence of physical weathering processes, such as wind erosion, and potential chemical weathering processes. Joint investigations utilizing the scientific payloads of the rover and the orbiter can provide insights into local aeolian and aqueous history, and the habitability evolution of the northern lowlands on Mars.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-00905-6
 
Does the Chinese space agency share the data it gathers with NASA/ESA?
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom