China publishes color photos of the surface of Mars

The Chinese Space Administration today released (11) a 360-degree panoramic and two-color image of the surface of Mars and the instruments of the Tianwen-1 spacecraft, which arrived at the Red Planet on May 15.

The photo shows the areas around the landing area, which is flat and rocky, and was recorded by the car Zhurong – a tribute to the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology.

“The nearby surface is relatively flat, with smooth, light-colored stones of various sizes scattered and half-buried. There is a hole at the bottom with darker stones with more angles on the edge,” the China Space Administration said in a statement. statement.

The image also shows the slope of the descent into the terrain of Mars and the back of Zhurong, with solar panels. “Stone abundance and size match expectations,” the note says.

The other photo shows the landing platform, with the slope we visit Zhurong and the Chinese flag flying.

At the end of the ramp, marks left by the rover on Mars can be seen, forming a circle.

In the third photo, Zhurong moved away from the disposable room, which he usually carries in custody, and back up a few meters away.

Thus, both the car and the platform can be seen in the background.

“The image was transmitted without a wire connection to the vehicle, which then redirected it to Earth through the orbit module,” the text explained in detail.

According to the Chinese agency, the orbiter is in good condition, and the rover has been operating on the surface of Mars for 28 Mars days.

Zhurong is part of the Chinese Tianwen-1 mission, which left for space in July 2020 and its landing probe reached the planet’s surface on May 15, in the southern part of the so-called Utopia Planetia, a plain located in the northern hemisphere.

Tianwen-1 is China’s first Mars exploration mission and the first in history to combine flight, entry into orbit and landing in a single mission.

Chinese scientists plan to find more evidence of the presence of water or ice on the planet, as well as conduct research on the physical composition of the surface or characteristics of the climate.