Rover Zhurong discovers the equipment used to land on Mars

Almost two months later Go to MarsChinese Rover Zurong He rediscovered the equipment used during landing on the Red Planet. Last Monday (12), he recorded pictures of the substance as he traveled through Utopia Planitia.

In the photos it is possible to see the parachute and the heat shield he used when landing. The first made it possible to reduce the speed of the spacecraft as it approached the Earth of Mars, while the second protected the module from temperature extremes.

The material was found about 350 meters from the mission’s landing site in May, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Zhurong was passing about 30 meters from the device when he took pictures with his navigation camera.

The heat shield and canopy are visible in front of the rover.Source: CNSA / Disclosure

This isn’t the first time the rover has rediscovered safety materials used during the journey between orbit and the Earth of Mars. A year after his arrival, in 2004, he Chance Depict the remains of her heat shield, which split into two parts after the impact, according to NASA.

Studying the geology of Mars

inseparable from Tianwen-1 مهمة mission, launched in July 2020, the Chinese rover reached the red planet a week before determinationFrom the US space agency. After separating from the orbiter, landing procedures began, making China the second country to land successfully Mars.

Expected to last at least 90 days on Mars (93 Earth days), Zhurong studies the geology and topography of Mars. It carries six scientific instruments, including a ground-penetrating radar, a weather station, and a decomposition spectrometer. laser.

Once a day, the collected data is sent to the probe in orbit, which relays the information to the team on Earth.