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The Chinese Tianwen-1 spacecraft currently in orbit around Mars has returned its first high definition images of the red planet and they are incredible. There really isn’t too much of Mars.
In early February, the probe returned its first images of Mars, but these new images released by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) are much more detailed, revealing clear features on the surface.
The probe, which is orbiting Mars in preparation for a surface landing in the not too distant future, took the surface photos with its high-definition camera when it was about 330-350 kilometers away (205 -217 miles) above the Martian Surface. The color image, taken by another camera on the orbiter, shows the north pole of Mars in amazing detail.
Both black-and-white images have a resolution of 7 meters, which means that cameras can distinguish objects just 7 meters away and reveal mountain ridges, craters and sand dunes. The largest impact crater seen here is estimated to be around 620 meters (2,034 feet) in diameter, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reports.
Tianwen-1, which stands for Questions in Heaven, launched on Mars in July 2020, along with Perseverance and the UAE’s first mission to Mars, Hope, thanks to the short launch window last summer which meant travel on Mars would be just 7 months.
The spacecraft is made up of the orbiter, a lander and a 6-wheel rover. The orbiter reached Mars on February 24, 2021 and the CNSA announced that it would orbit Mars for three months before attempting a landing, possibly in May or June 2021. According to the agency, they are eyeing the game. southern Utopia Planitia de Mars, a large plain in the Utopia crater – the largest recognized crater in the entire solar system – as a landing site.
The still unnamed rover can travel at 200 meters (656 feet) per hour, which is fast enough for a rover on Mars. Curiosity is currently traveling 140 meters (460 feet) per hour and Perseverance, when it kicks in, will be able to do 152 meters (500 feet) per hour a little faster. It also carries six scientific instruments to perform tasks on the planet, including a ground-penetrating radar and a multispectral camera.
Until Tianwen-1’s landing capsule is released and it deploys what will hopefully be the sixth rover to Mars, the orbiter’s seven payloads will be activated during its 3-hour stay. months in parking orbit to perform tasks such as analysis of terrestrial characteristics and surveillance. the weather for an optimal landing.
As CNSA pointed out, Tianwen-1 is the 46th global mission to Mars and only 19 of them were successful, so join us in May or June when we cross the mad ‘7 Minute of Terror’ race again. As China attempts to make history as the second nation to successfully land a rover on Mars.
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