The planet Mars captured by the Chinese probe Tianwen-1, published on February 5, 2021. – China National Space Administration / AFP
The red planet is in black and white. On Friday, the Chinese Space Agency (CNSA) released the first image of Mars, Taken
With the Tianwen-1 probeWhich is due to arrive there around February 10.
The first image received on Earth of the red planet appears to show a pool of gas and what looks like craters. The black-and-white image was taken about 2.2 million kilometers from Mars, according to the Chinese space agency, which launched its spacecraft in late July from China.
The first Chinese attempt
The photo shows Valles Marineris (canyons near the equator of the red planet), Schiaparelli (wide crater) and Plain Acidalia Planitia, according to CNSA.
Tianwen-1 consists of three components: an orbiter (orbiting the star), a landing craft, and a wheeled remote-controlled robot (responsible for analyzing the Earth). The robotic wheeled robot, housed on the probe, is expected to deploy to Mars in May. It weighs more than 200 kg, is equipped with four solar panels and is expected to work for three months.
Among her tasks are: conducting soil and atmosphere analyzes, taking pictures, or even contributing to mapping the red planet. Ambitious, and China hopes to do so First independent attempt to explore Mars Almost everything the United States has accomplished on its many Mars missions since the 1960s – putting a probe into orbit, landing a lander, and then ejecting a remote-controlled robot.
