China’s Mars-orbiter Tianwen-1 took a number of selfies using a small camera, which it then released to orbit.
China National Space Administration (CNSA) has released four new images, showing Tianwen-1 around the Red Planet. This is to celebrate the start of the New Year.
One shows a full view of Tianwen-1 in space with the Red Planet’s north pole in the background, while another shows an impressive close-up of its reflective gold body and solar antenna wing.
Tianwen-1 disposed of one its smaller cameras in order to take the photos. The camera then sent back the snaps through Wi-Fi.
Another photo shows a close-up view of the Martian ice caps at its north pole. It is characterized by a unique pattern of snowy swirls.
China National Space Administration released an informational photo on January 1, 2022. It shows the Tianwen-1 Mars Mission’s orbiter flying in an orbit around the Red Planet. CNSA released four images taken by the Tianwen-1 Mars missions, which included the first complete photo of the orbiter. CNSA claimed that full-size pictures of the orbiter were taken using a camera onboard its Tianwen-1 Mars mission. It is located approximately 217 million miles (235 million km), from Earth.
Another photo released by CNSA taken by a small deployable camera shows the Tianwen-1 orbiter flying around the Red Planet in an orbit
The first image – the first full photo of the mission orbiter – shows the golden orbiter body and a silver object directly underneath it.
This silver object serves as the directional antenna to high-speed data communications with Earth.
The first photo is a partial view of the orbiter. While the third picture gives the best view possible of planet’s ice swirls,
The polar caps of Mars are home to ice. However, like the Earth’s two poles of ice, Mars’ “ice” is comprised of both dry (solid carbon dioxide), and water.
Fourth image of the Martian landscape captured by Zhurong (mission’s rover) is the fourth from the CNSA.
The north pole of Mars has ice cover Mars has ice at its polar caps as well below the surface and in other places on the planet.
Fourth image of the Martian landscape, taken by Zhurong the Rover. The probe released a landing capsule that descended through Martian atmosphere. It took three months to prepare and landed on Mars in May 2021.
As a tribute to an old Chinese poem with verses on the cosmos, Tianwen-1 is the Chinese mission.
CNSA stated that Tianwen-1 (which was launched almost 18 months ago from Earth) is currently approximately 217,000,000 miles away (350 million km).
China successfully launched Tianwen-1 aboard a Long March 5-Y-4 carrier rocket on July 23, 2020. From the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern Hainan province, China.
The spacecraft traveled 295,000,000 miles (475 Million km) in total and performed several orbit maneuvers, before it entered Martian orbit on Feb 10, 2021.
The probe’s lander, after three months of work and preparations, descended into the Martian atmosphere to make a difficult landing. It landed on Mars May 14, 2021 at 15:15 Chinese Time.
China was the second country to conduct a successful Martian landing after the US.
Tianwen-1 is the name of robotic spacecraft to Mars that actually consists of six separate pieces of equipment – an orbiter, two deployable cameras, a lander, a remote camera and the Zhurong rover.
The orbiter and its deployable cameras have been encircling the planet in space, while the Zhurong rover made its descent from the lander on the planet’s surface on May 22, about a week after the lander touched down.
China will send a Mars orbiter to carry the lander & rover. A lander will also parachute down to the surface with the rover. And a robot that will examine the soil and atmosphere of the planet for signs that life has been discovered.
Zhurong made steady progress southwards since its May landing and its deployment.
Zhurong was looking for clues to the existence of life on Mars by scouring a large plain known as Utopia Planitia.
This is the most significant impact basin of the solar system. The area has an approximate diameter of 2,050 mi. Large volumes of underground glacier are also found in it.
Solar-panel powered robot features a range of cameras that can be used to image the Martian landscape. Six scientific instruments are also available for measuring magnetic fields and climatic conditions.
Tianwen-1 entered Mars orbit less than 24 hours after the United Arab Emirates’, Hope probe, which entered Mars orbit at around 16:15 GMT on February 9, 2021.
NASA’s Perseverance spacecraft, however, reached the Martian surface at 20.55 GMT, February 18, 2021.
Hope, Tianwen-1, and Perseverance were all launched in the second quarter of July 2020 within twelve days.
Tianwen-1: China’s Mars debut. Tianwen-1, five tonnes, includes a Mars orbiter and a lander, as well as a solar-powered robot that will study Mars for three months, taking photos and charting maps, and looking for evidence of past life.
China, USA and UAE took advantage of the favorable alignment between Mars and Earth last July to launch exploratory missions towards the Red Planet.
China is ramping up its space efforts in other areas – it’s currently building a space station called Tiangong, meaning ‘heavenly palace’, to rival the ageing International Space Station (ISS).
The ISS is backed by five participating space agencies – NASA (US), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada) – but China was originally barred from participating by the US.
TIMELINE OF CHINESE SPACE MINLESTONES
Launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan Province of China, the Shenzhou-12 satellitecraft will be launched on June 17th, 2021. It is carried aboard the Long March-2F rocket and to Chinese Tiangong orbit station.
July 19, 1964China made its official first step in space by launching an experimental biological rocket that carried white mice and was later recovered.
April 24, 1970 Dong Fang Hong 1 the first Chinese satellite was launched by the Jiuquan launch center in Gansu, northwestern China. China was the fifth country that launched satellites into space, after France, Japan, USA, France, and Japan.
Nov. 26, 1975: China has launched the first recovered satellite.
Nov. 20, 1999:China’s first unmanned spacecraft launched, the Shenzhou-1.
Oct. 15, 2003:China is now the third country, after Russia and America, to have a rocket launch man into orbit. Yang Liwei was the astronaut who spent approximately 21 hours in space on board the Shenzhou-5 rocket.
Oct. 12, 2005China sent two astronauts on a five day flight aboard its Shenzhou-6 spacecraft.
Nov. 5, 2007China’s first lunar orbiter Chang’e-1 entered orbit around the moon 12 days after its takeoff.
Sept. 25, 2008China’s third-manned spacecraft Shenzhou-7 was launched in space. An astronaut then climbed out of the craft to make the country’s first spacewalk.
Oct. 1, 2010China’s second lunar exploration probe launched from an isolated corner in the southwest province of Sichuan.
Sept. 29, 2011Tiangong-1 (or ‘Heavenly palace 1’), China’s first orbiting space laboratory, launched in order to conduct docking and orbiting tests.
Nov. 3, 2011China conducted its first docking maneuver between two unmanned spacecraft: the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft (and Tiangong-1 spacecraft), a crucial test for securing long-term human presence in space.
Dec. 14, 2013China joined the United States, the Soviet Union and China in landing an unmanned spacecraft onto the Moon in the first soft-landing since 1976.
Sept. 15, 2016China launched the Tiangong-2 space laboratory as part of its larger plan for a permanent manned station to be in operation by 2022.
Jan. 3, 2019: December’s Chang’e-4 lunar probe touched down at the far side. Spacecraft before it have flown to the far side of the moon but never landed there.
June 23, 2020China’s final Beidou satellite was placed in orbit, concluding a long-running navigation network and providing the platform for the United States to take on the Global Positioning System (GPS).
July 23, 2020China sent an unmanned spacecraft to Mars as its first mission independent to another planet.
Nov. 24, 2020China’s Chang’e-5 uncrewed lunar mission was launched. Its purpose is to collect moon material that will help scientists understand the origins of the moon.
Dec. 1, 2020China has landed Chang’e-5 on the Moon’s Surface.
April 29, 2021China has launched Tianhe as the largest module out of three for its future space station.
April 15, 2021China is now the second country to successfully land a robotic vehicle on Mars, after the United States.
June 17, 2021China launched the Shenzhou-12 crewed spacecraft, which was to dock with Tianhe.