A vast panoramic view of Mars from Zhurong to celebrate its 100th day on the red planet!

China’s Zhurong rover captured a vast panoramic view of Mars to celebrate its first 100 days on the planet, before entering “safe mode” later this month.

The stunning 360-degree view of Zhurong’s distinct point on Mars, released by the National Space Administration of China (CNSA), shows the rover’s solar panels and antenna in front of the dusty red Martian soil.

Zhurong successfully landed on Utopia Planitia, a vast lava plain north of Mars, just after midnight on May 15 (BST), after spending about three months orbiting the planet.

It took off from Earth in July 2020, aboard the Chinese Tianwen-1 spacecraft – which entered Martian orbit in February – and has traveled 3,491 feet (1,064 meters) since it first touched down the surface of the Red Planet on May 22.

But after 100 days, Zhurong and Tianwen-1 will enter “safe mode” from mid-September to the end of October, due to a solar conjunction coming this fall, which will prevent communications between the rover and Earth.

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Solar conjunction occurs when another planet or body in the solar system (Mars in this case) is on the other side of the sun from Earth.

Since landing, Zhurong has made a steadily southerly journey, propelling itself 1,064 meters south of its landing point, toward the shore of the ancient “ocean” to obtain scientific data.

The solar-powered robot contains a number of cameras to photograph the scene on Mars, as well as six scientific instruments to measure weather conditions, chemicals, magnetic fields and a radar to search below the surface.

Zhurong continuously transmitted images and data through the Tianwen-1 orbiter.

Last month, CNSA said the Zhurong vehicle completed its initial 90-day program on August 15, was in perfect technical condition and fully loaded.

Officials said he will therefore continue to explore Utopia Planitia after the safe mode expires.

The six-wheeled rover contains a climate detector, underground radar, magnetic field detectors and a camera for taking photos and mapping the planets.

Source: Daily Mail

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