In May 2022, the Tianwen-1 probe successfully reached the surface of Mars, becoming the first country in the world to enter the surface of Mars and successfully carry out exploration, which is China's first Mars exploration mission and the world's first successful Mars mission in the past 43 years.
In addition to the Tianwen-1 probe, the Zhurong rover also successfully completed the roving exploration mission, they not only took a large number of amazing images of the Martian surface, but also brought people scientific data on Mars velocity, weather, magnetic field, ice and water, etc., laying a solid foundation for the follow-up work of the Mars exploration mission.
While we are delighted with the success of China's first Mars mission, the harsh environment and long range of Mars make every step fraught with risks, but even with the best preparations, scientists can hardly anticipate the unexpected events that will result from climate change.
At present, China's first Mars exploration mission has come to an end, and the Zhurong rover has been unable to work on the surface of Mars due to its inability to pass through the winter.
And now, I will give you an explanation of the historical mission of Zhurong and the scientific goals of mankind in front of Mars.
1. In the low temperature and low pressure environment, Zhu Rong kept the "polar night".
After the news of the loss of Zhurong, the Chinese people seemed to realize the seriousness of the matter, and people have expressed their condolences and respect for the hard-working hero who has been working on the surface of Mars for nearly two years.
So, what happened to Zhurong? Why did it lose contact? Zhurong was on the landing platform of the Tianwen-1 probe, which is in the northern hemisphere of Mars, and they were in relatively good working condition for almost a year and a half after Zhurong landed.
But as time passed, the "polar night" of Mars began to approach, which meant that the sunshine in the northern hemisphere of Mars gradually weakened, and Zhurong was charged by solar energy and could not receive enough sunlight, so it gradually fell into a passive situation.
Zhurong in working condition on Mars
In the past few months, several attempts have been made to wake up the Zhurong, but the solar wings were unable to effectively receive sunlight due to the thick dust and sand covered, resulting in it not being able to recharge, and ultimately failed.
The moment night falls on Mars, Zhurong completely lost contact with the earth and can no longer communicate with us, unfortunately, according to the research of astronomers, Zhurong will stay on the surface of Mars forever and become another "Martian remains".
Zhurong's power management system
Low temperature and low pressure and severe dust and sand storms have triggered the "Martian autumn and winter", not only Zhurong, but also Mars rovers around the world will face a similar dilemma, spacecraft will no longer work after entering the "polar night" of Mars, becoming "Mars lost".
It is reported that the "polar night" of Zhurong will last until about December 2023, and if at this point in time, Zhurong still does not wake up on its own, then it will never be resurrected, which means that China's first Mars exploration mission will officially come to an end.
To sum up, due to the special environment of Mars, Zhurong can not continue to work, once it falls into the "Martian polar night", China's first Mars rover will be forever lost in the low temperature of more than minus 100 degrees Celsius, becoming another "Martian remains".
Second, Zhu Rong, farewell!
The news of Zhurong's disappearance does not make China's longing for Mars exploration illusory, on the contrary, it shows that we can make achievements and contributions on this planet full of unknowns and challenges.
It is in the harsh environment of Mars that Zhurong has completed a series of work such as the first successful landing on Mars and the successful patrol and exploration of the mainland, which are unprecedented achievements.
No matter what kind of end it draws on Mars, it will always be remembered in the hearts of the people with its noble figure, becoming a gorgeous scenery in China's aerospace industry, and its scientific research results will also become the cornerstone of our future exploration of Mars.
It is precisely because of the great contribution made by Zhurong that we are inspired to devote ourselves more actively to the work of Mars exploration, and in order to better prepare for the next Mars exploration mission, the loss of contact with Zhurong also gives us practical suggestions.
Faced with the extreme environment of Mars, we had to revisit the existing Mars exploration program, and through the actual situation of Zhurong, we learned that it was full of dangers, but we were also able to achieve here.
Zhurong is not only a Mars exploration equipment, but also a symbol of China's aerospace spirit, and its fighting spirit and indomitable quality will inspire us to continue to move forward, make persistent efforts to create more brilliant scientific research results.
3. In the future, the road to Mars exploration is still long.
Although human probes such as Zhurong are struggling on Mars, this has not detracted from our yearning and enthusiasm for exploring this mysterious planet, on the contrary, the mystery and charm of Mars will inspire more scientists to devote themselves to this challenging work, and at the same time, it will also promote the continuous progress of our exploration technology.
In the future, we will continue to challenge the mysterious Mars, and China is planning the exploration missions of Tianwen-2 and Tianwen-3, which will not only continue to deepen our understanding of Mars, but also make a significant contribution to the future exploration of this planet.
We will also launch the Mars Sample Return Mission, which will be the first mission in the world to bring Martian samples back to Earth, where we will have the opportunity to delve deeper into this mysterious planet and explore its origins, evolution, and future of life.
This challenging project will be an important milestone in the history of human exploration, which will give us a better understanding of this desirable planet and will also provide us with more clues and evidence to solve the mystery of the evolution of the solar system.
The passing of Zhurong does not mean that all its achievements will be erased, on the contrary, it will forever become a spiritual force on our way forward, it awakens our passion for space exploration with noble sacrifices, and it also inspires us to continue to move forward without fear of failure.
The author thinks. Although the loss of Zhurong is very regrettable, it has brought too many surprises and gains to mankind, no matter what kind of end it draws on Mars, it will always be remembered in the hearts of the people with a noble figure, which is an unprecedented outstanding contribution, and it will forever become a gorgeous scenery in China's aerospace industry.
In the future, China's aerospace will continue to challenge the impossibility of Mars exploration, Tianwen-1 is a pathfinder, one is born, two is mature, I believe that Zhurong will be on the road to guide, we will achieve more brilliant achievements.