China Lands Tianwen-1 Rover on Mars in a Major First for the Country
Second only to the U.S. in a fully successful Mars landing, China is now set to explore the Utopia Planitia region of the Red Planet’s surface
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Illustration of China’s Tianwen-1 lander and accompanying Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars. Credit: Xinhua News Agency
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And then there were two: today China says it safely landed a spacecraft on Mars for the first time in its history and in its first attempt becoming the only other nation besides the U.S. to achieve such a feat. Its Zhurong rover, named after a god of fire from Chinese folklore, successfully touched down in Utopia Planitia around 7:18 P.M. EST as part of the Tianwen-1 mission, according to the China National Space Administration.
China s Mars Orbiter Is About to Attempt a Risky Landing on The Red Planet
MORGAN MCFALL-JOHNSEN, BUSINESS INSIDER
14 MAY 2021
China is about to attempt its first Mars landing – a feat accomplished successfully by only half the spacecraft that have ever tried.
Tianwen-1, as the mission is called, means questions to heaven . It aims to be the first Mars mission to send a spacecraft into the planet s orbit, drop a landing platform onto the Martian surface, and deploy a rover all in one expedition.
The first steps are complete. The mission launched in July 2020 and the spacecraft slipped into orbit around Mars in February. Now the orbiter is preparing to release a capsule carrying the lander and rover.
Apr 20, 2021
A small robotic helicopter named Ingenuity made space exploration history on Monday when it lifted off the surface of Mars and hovered in the wispy air of the red planet. It was the first machine from Earth ever to fly like an airplane or a helicopter on another world.
The achievement extends NASA’s long, exceptional record of firsts on Mars.
“We together flew at Mars,” MiMi Aung, the project manager for Ingenuity, said to her team during the celebration. “And we together now have this Wright brothers moment.”
Like the first flight of an airplane by Wilbur and Orville Wright in 1903, the flight did not go far or last long, but it showed what could be done. Flying in the thin atmosphere of Mars was a particularly tricky technical endeavor, on the edge of impossible because there is almost no air to push against. NASA engineers employed ultralight materials, fast-spinning blades and high-powered computer processing to get Ingenuity off the ground and
NASA s Mars helicopter completes first flight on another world japantimes.co.jp - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from japantimes.co.jp Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.