The National Space Administration of China (ANEC) has published this Friday a 360-degree panoramic selfie taken on Mars by its explorer robot, the
Zhurong,
and two other color photographs of the planet and the devices of the probe's landing module.
Tianwen-1
, which reached the surface on May 15.
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For the first image, the
Zhurong
detached itself from the detachable camera that it usually carries located in the basement and fell back a few meters.
Thus, both the
rover
and the landing module
can be seen
, more in the background, from a ground level perspective.
"The image was transmitted to the vehicle wirelessly, which then bounced it back to Earth through the orbiter module," the text detailed.
The panorama shows the surroundings of the landing zone, a flat, stony and ocher terrain, and was taken by the scout vehicle
Zhurong
(named after the fire god of ancient Chinese mythology) before it left on May 22. the platform where it touched the ground of Mars.
“The nearby surface is relatively flat, with smooth, light-colored stones of different sizes scattered and half-buried.
There is a hole at the bottom with darker and more angular stones on the margin ”, detailed the ANEC in the text published on its website.
Surface of Mars photographed by the explorer robot 'Zhurong'. China National Space Administrat / EFE
In the panoramic image you can also see both the descent ramp to the Martian terrain and the rear of the
Zhurong
, with the solar panels that it uses to feed itself deployed.
"The abundance and size of the stones corresponds to expectations," noted the Chinese space agency.
Another photograph shows the landing module, with the
Zhurong
descent ramp
- also the author of this photo - and a Chinese flag unfurled.
At the end of the ramp you can see the footprints left by the astromobile on the Martian surface, which draw a circle.
The landing module, with the ramp by which the robot 'Zhurong' descendedChina National Space Administrat / EFE
According to ANEC, the orbiter module is in good condition and the
rover
has been working on the surface of Mars for 28 Martian days.
The
Zhurong
is part of the Chinese mission
Tianwen-1
, which was sent into space in July 2020 and whose landing probe reached the planet's surface on May 15, in the southern part of the so-called Utopia Planitia, a plain located in the northern hemisphere.
The
Tianwen-1
(whose name can be translated as "Heavenly Questions") is China's first Mars exploration mission and the first in history that combines the trip into orbit and drop in a single mission.
Chinese scientists intend to find more evidence of the existence of water or ice on that planet, as well as carry out research on the material composition of the surface of Mars or the characteristics of the climate.
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