HELSINKI– Chinas Zhurong rover has approached and imaged the parachute and backshell which assisted the automobile land securely on Mars.
The 240-kilogram solar-powered Zhurong captured the image of the discarded items on July 12 Beijing time at a distance of 30 meters away..
Zhurong landed on Mars May 14 after 3 months in orbit making preparations for its landing effort.
The rover has now driven 450 meters in Utopia Planitia as of July 15 Beijing time, according to the China Lunar Exploration Program. The parachute and backshell are located around 350 meters south of the rovers landing platform.
The heat guard from the landing series is located hundreds of meters further to the southwest. China has actually not announced a prepare for Zhurongs drive path. NASAs Opportunity rover imaged its own heat guard back in December 2004.
Zhurongs supersonic parachute released throughout the EDL series. Credit: CNSA/PEC.
Zhurong has actually been operating for 60 sols and has a main mission of 90 sols (92 Earth days). It is presently unidentified if Zhurongs mission will be extended beyond this..
Chinas Tianwen-1 orbiter– which carried Zhurong and went into Mars orbit Feb. 10– is currently in an 8.2-hour orbit, permitting a pass over Utopia Planitia when per sol to help relay information to Earth across numerous millions of kilometers of area.
Zhurong is geared up with 6 science payloads, including a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument for analysing surface components and minerals, multispectral and scenic imagers, a climate station, magnetometer and a ground-penetrating radar.
Peter Grindrod at the Natural History Museum, London, informed SpaceNews early June that orbital images of the immediate landing location reveal close-by intense, linear features that are most likely a kind of feature called Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TARs) which would be of interest to scientists. Zhurong visited among these features June 26 (Sol 42) according to CLEP.
Grindod keeps in mind that there are numerous interesting raised mounds in the region, which might be inverted impact craters or potentially small volcanic domes, while some other functions might be the outcome of tectonic activity. Zhurongs route and capability to gain access to these locations will nevertheless depend upon science goals and priorities and the period of its mission.
An image returned by Zhurong showing a dune and the far-off backshell. Credit: CNSA/PEC.
Meanwhile Chinas Yutu-2 rover is expected to complete its 32nd lunar day July 16 as the sun sets over Von Kármán crater on the lunar far side. The 140-kilogram solar-powered rover has covered 738.6 metres because landing in January 2019..
A Chinese science outreach account kept in mind July 13 that Zhurong has actually covered ground far more quickly than Yutu-2 due to higher autonomy and ability to work out obstacles. Yutu-2 is likewise needed to power down for the deep cold of lunar nights and high solar radiation of lunar twelve noons.