China considers its rover to travel over the surface of Mars for the first time

A motorized rover China The remote control landed on the curve of its landing capsule on Saturday and reached its surface. Tuesday, Creates an Asian company It was the first country to orbit, land and deploy a ground vehicle on its first mission to that planet.

Jurong, Named after the fire of a mythical Chinese god, came to its surface Tuesday According to Rover’s official account on social media, it’s 10:40 am Beijing time (2:40 pm GMT, 9:40 pm Mexico).

China Joined this month United States The only countries that have parked land vehicles Tuesday. The Soviet Union A ship landed in 1971, but lost contact a few seconds later.

The JurongIt weighs 240 kg and contains six scientific instruments, including a high-resolution landscape camera, which studies the planet’s soil and atmosphere.

What is the purpose of the China Rover?

Even a solar-powered rover Looking for signs of ancient life, including water and ice beneath the surface, Uses radar to penetrate the ground during a 90-day exploration of Mars.

Jurong Moving and stopping at slow intervals, each is estimated to be Only 10 meters for three days, According to the official release China Space News.

“The rover’s slowness is caused by a misunderstanding of the Martian environment, So the relatively conservative working method is better designed, ”Jia Yang, an engineer, told China Space News.

Jia said that depending on its operational status at the time, the rover would not dismiss the fast pace in the final stages of the mission.

The rover is designed to be more autonomous because of the distance Tuesday, 320 million kilometers, It takes 40 minutes for a signal to travel both ways, which is an obstacle to the rover’s real-time control.

Mars temperatures are also a problem, dropping to minus 130 degrees Celsius overnight and freezing carbon dioxide, coating the ground with a layer of dry ice, endangering the rover.

Jurong It has an automatic suspension system that can raise and lower its chassis by 60 centimeters, The only rover with such capability, according to China Space News. In addition, it is covered with nano aerosol sheets to protect its structure from cooling.

Dust storms could also affect the rover’s ability to generate electricity through its solar panels, Jia said. To avoid this, the surface of the panels is made of a material that is not easily stained by dust and can be shaken by vibrations, he said.