China’s Mars rover, Zhurong, has used ground-penetrating radar to map the subsurface of Mars, revealing shallow impact craters and other geologic structures in the top five meters of the planet’s surface.
China Zhurong to Mars on the Tianwen-1 mission which launched in 2020. The rover landed on the surface on May 15, 2021, after a nearly year-long journey.
The rover has been exploring a large plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars called Utopia Planitia to look for evidence of water or ice near suspected ancient shorelines.
Ground-penetrating radar was used to detect underground features by sending electromagnetic pulses into the ground. The radar revealed layers of sediment and buried impact craters on the Martian soil, but no evidence of water or ice in the top five meters of soil.
The researchers believe that the difference in the subsurface structure between Mars and the Moon is due to the presence of Mars’ atmosphere, which protects it from micrometeorite impacts that erode the surface.
What is the Zhurong rover
The Zhurong rover is the latest addition to China’s impressive track record in space exploration.
The rover was launched on July 23, 2020, as part of the Tianwen-1 mission, and successfully touched down on the Martian surface on May 15, 2021. The rover is named after a mythological Chinese god of fire, and it is China’s first Mars rover, marking a major milestone in the country’s space program.
China’s space program has been on a steady rise since the country’s first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, was launched in 1970. Since then China has completed many space missions, including crewed missions, lunar missions, and satellite launches. In 2003, China became the third country to send humans into space, and in 2019, the Chang’e-4 spacecraft became the first to land on the far side of the moon.
Most recently China has been increasing its efforts in space exploration, with ambitious plans for a permanent space station and a crewed mission to the moon. The Tianwen-1 mission, which includes the Zhurong rover, is part of these efforts.
The Tianwen-1 Mission
The Tianwen-1 mission was launched on July 23, 2020, from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan Island, China. The mission includes an orbiter, a lander, and the Zhurong rover, and it is designed to study the Martian environment, map the surface of the planet, and search for signs of life.
The mission follows in the footsteps of other Mars exploration missions, such as NASA’s Mars Exploration Program and the European Space Agency’s ExoMars program. However, the Tianwen-1 mission is significant because it represents the first time China has attempted to land on Mars, and it makes China the second country, after the United States, to successfully land a rover on the red planet.
The Zhurong rover is the centrepiece of the Tianwen-1 mission, and it is named after a mythological Chinese god of fire. The rover is approximately 1.85 meters tall and weighs 240 kilograms, and it is equipped with six wheels and a range of scientific instruments, including a multispectral camera, a subsurface detection radar, and a meteorological measurement instrument.
After touching down on the Martian surface on May 15, 2021, the Zhurong rover began its mission of exploring the Utopia Planitia region, a vast plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars. The rover’s primary objectives are to study the surface composition of Mars, analyze the soil and rock samples, and search for signs of water and ice.
The rover represents a major achievement for China’s space program, and it marks a significant step forward for China’s efforts in space exploration. In the Tianwen-1 mission, China has demonstrated its growing capabilities in space, and it has set the stage for even more ambitious missions in the future.
TLDR
- China’s Zhurong rover used ground-penetrating radar to map the Martian subsurface, revealing shallow impact craters and other geologic structures in the top five meters of the planet’s surface.
- The rover was launched as part of China’s Tianwen-1 mission and successfully landed on Mars on May 15, 2021, after nearly a year-long journey.
- Its mission is to explore the Utopia Planitia region to look for evidence of water or ice near suspected ancient shorelines using scientific instruments including a subsurface detection radar.
- The difference in subsurface structure between Mars and the Moon is attributed to Mars’ atmosphere, which protects it from micrometeorite impacts that erode the surface.
- China’s Tianwen-1 mission is designed to study the Martian environment, map the planet’s surface, and search for signs of life. It includes an orbiter, a lander, and the Zhurong rover named after a mythological Chinese god of fire.
- The rover is equipped with a multispectral camera, a subsurface detection radar, and a meteorological measurement instrument.
- China’s growing capabilities in space exploration are demonstrated by their impressive track record, including crewed missions, lunar missions, and satellite launches.
- The Zhurong rover represents a significant step forward for China’s efforts in space exploration, and it has set the stage for even more ambitious missions in the future.
