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The Chinese space agency has released the first photos taken by its Zhurong robotic jeep from the Martian surface.
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In the photos taken by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) published, you can see parts of the rover and the Red Planet itself. The Tianwen-1 mission landed on Mars on May 15. In doing so, the Chinese are following in the footsteps of NASA’s Perseverance rover.
One of the photos (in color, at the top of the article) was taken by the navigation camera mounted on the back of the robot jeep. In the picture: Zhurong’s solar panels and unfolded antenna, along with a Martian surface with red dust and rock.
Chinese perspective
The second image is a black and white photo from the front camera that helps avoid obstacles while driving. Thanks to the wide angle lens, we get a ramp of the Tianwen lander and the Martian horizon. In addition to the two photos, the CNSA shared another short video that the mission probe was able to record. It shows how the lander and the robot jeep separated from each other during landing.
NASA administrator Sen. Bill Nelson has congratulated his Chinese colleagues in an official statement. “Congratulations to the China National Space Administration for receiving the first images of the Zhurong Mars rover. As the number of Mars robots from the scientific community grows, the US and the world are looking forward to the discoveries Zhurong will make to advance human knowledge of the Red Planet. I therefore look forward to future, international discoveries. They will help develop the capabilities to eventually get human feet on Mars, ”said the NASA executive.
Zhurongs missie
On May 21 or 22, Zhurong begins his actual mission. Then he will leave the lander disaster and will explore the Martian surface, just like his American colleague Perseverance. The Chinese robot jeep will explore a part of the planet called Utopia Planitia. With six different instruments, Zhurong will investigate the geology and climate of the area.
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