Beijing, November 11 (CNBC) -- According to the "News Hyperlink" of the Voice of China of the Central Radio and Television Corporation, the "Tianwen-1" orbiter successfully implemented the fifth close-fire braking, accurately entered the orbit of the remote sensing mission, and carried out global remote sensing exploration of Mars.
Prior to this, the "Zhurong" rover has successfully completed the set inspection and exploration mission objectives, and all the conditions are in good condition, and continue to carry out exploration tasks. Considering the orbiter's global remote sensing exploration and rover relay communication needs, the engineering development team optimized the orbit design, and determined the remote sensing orbit scheme with a near fire point of about 265 kilometers, a distant fire point of about 10,700 kilometers, and a period of about 7.08 hours, which not only ensured the surrounding scientific exploration, but also provided more relay communication support for the Mars rover and improved the efficiency of the mission.
The orbiter will work in the orbit of the remote sensing mission for 14 months, through remote sensing exploration, the orbiter will obtain high-precision morphological data of the global topography and geomorphology characteristics of Mars and typical areas, detect the types and global distribution of Martian soil, search for water ice information, and simultaneously carry out scientific research on the origin and evolution of Martian geological structures and soil profile layering.
What information can we get with Tianwen-1? What are the key detection points? Are there difficulties in transmitting data between Mars and Earth? How will the future work tasks of "Zhu Rong" and "Tianwen No. 1" be arranged?
"Tianwen-1" orbiter enters the orbit of remote sensing mission (screenshot of animation demo)
What devices are carried on the wrapper? What data can we collect?
There are seven payloads on the Tianwen-1 orbiter, namely two cameras, a subsurface detection radar, a mineral analyzer, and three payloads that are mainly for exploration of the space environment around Mars.
The two cameras are one high-resolution camera and one medium-resolution camera. Two cameras are used to obtain images of the surface of Mars. High-resolution cameras have a long focal length and can clearly capture detailed targets at a distance, but the angle of view is narrow and the range of shots is limited. Therefore, a medium-resolution camera is needed to cooperate with it to take images of Mars in a wider area.
Surface detection radar is used to determine the internal structure of Mars. The detection radar emits radio waves below the surface of Mars, and probes the structure below the surface of Mars through the echoes of Mars.
Mineral analyzers are used to analyze minerals on the surface of Mars. Different minerals belong to different spectral segments, and mineral analyzers use optical exploration methods to obtain the spectra of minerals on the surface of Mars, and to detect the composition of material on the surface of Mars by comparing and analyzing the spectral images.
The exploration of Mars is not only to explore Mars itself, but also to investigate the space environment around Mars. The other three machines on the orbiter are primarily responsible for exploring the environment around Mars. Yang Yuguang, a researcher at the Second Academy of Aerospace Science and Industry and vice chairman of the Space Transport Committee of the International Astronautical Federation, said that among the three detection machines, the magnetometer used to detect the magnetic field environment of Mars can be described as a heavy responsibility. Studying the magnetic field environment of Mars can not only understand the internal structure of Mars, but also understand the evolutionary history of other terrestrial planets and even the entire solar system by comparing the magnetic field environments of Mars and other planets, and also help us speculate on the future development trend of The Earth.
What are the detection priorities of the "Tianwen-1" orbiter?
Once in orbit, the orbiter focuses on topographies such as craters, volcanoes, and dry riverbeds. Craters and riverbeds are typical targets in the process of mars remote sensing.
Due to the lack of adequate atmospheric protection, there are many meteorite impact craters on the surface of Mars. By studying meteorite impact craters on the surface of Mars, we can speculate on the history of Mars.
In addition to impact craters, Mars remote sensing also pays special attention to areas such as canyons and alluvial plains. Observations of these regions are primarily an exploration of whether Mars has lived in the past. Because water is the source of life, the probability of life surviving at the junction of water and land is the highest. Although so far, humans have not found any traces of life on Mars, but the detection of extraterrestrial life must be a key research project.
As the working time of the probe increases, the amount of data transmitted back to the earth by the Tianwen-1 orbiter in the future can reach the terabyte level. However, Yang Yuguang said that the number of scientific research results obtained through orbiter detection is not limited by the payload on the orbiter, but by the backhaul rate of the detection data.
Rover driving on the surface of Mars (screenshot of animation demo)
How will the future missions of the Tianwen-1 orbiter and the Zhurong Rover be arranged?
Zhu Rong has conducted more than 90 Martian days of investigation, safely passed the "Solar Transit" stage, and is currently working smoothly on the surface of Mars, and we expect Zhu Rong to be able to work on Mars for a longer period of time. According to the plan, the "Zhurong" is gradually moving south away from the landing site, and more different and richer landforms will be investigated in the future. Exploration of the surface topography of Mars, the composition of surface minerals, and traces of life are all priorities for future investigations.
The Tianwen-1 orbiter has 14 months to complete its detection mission. The Tianwen-1 orbiter requires detailed remote sensing imaging and census of the Martian surface to obtain rich scientific data.
Rover driving road map (Source: Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center)
Despite the long-standing boom in research on Mars, with many countries trying to launch Mars rovers, so far, only China and the United States have successfully delivered probes to the surface of Mars. At the same time, many of the scientific research achievements of "Tianwen-1" are also open to the world, and scientists around the world can combine the data obtained by our country to study Mars. Yang Yuguang said that China's move is benefiting all mankind.
Producer: Liang Yue
Reporter: Hejia
Editor: Yang Yang Pan Yuwei Yang Ran