China’s space agency has released images captured by a small camera taken out of the country’s first Mars-bound spacecraft, which will be examined in deep space as it is close to half of a seven-month journey from Earth to the Red Planet.
Images released by the China National Space Administration on Oct. 1 show the Tiananmen 1 spacecraft going through the blackness of space. Tyneway deployed a small camera mero to take self-portraits as it moved away from motherhood.
The two wide angle lenses on the deployed camera were programmed on one image every second. The images were transferred back to Tiananmen via a wireless radio link, then downlinked to China’s ground teams.
In the images, Tienwen 1’s solar array wings and dish-shaped high-gain communications antenna are clearly visible. The white section of the spacecraft is the mission’s entry module and heat shield, with a Chinese rover designed to land on Mars and explore the surface.
A red Chinese flag also appears on the spacecraft. The images were published in conjunction with China’s National Day holiday to mark the 71st anniversary of the communist regime there.
The robotic Tianvan 1 spacecraft landed on the Long March 5 rocket on July 23, the most powerful launch of the Chinese fleet. So far, two mid-course correction exercises have been carried out in the investigation to ensure its path to Mars, set for a crucial burn to enter orbit around the Red Planet in February.
Once in orbit, the candidate will survey the landing sites for two to three months before releasing the Tianvan 1 spacecraft, Mariner and Rover into the Martian atmosphere.
If China pulls off those feats according to plan, they will make China the third country to make a soft landing on Mars and the second to operate a robotic rover on the Red Planet – after the Soviet Union and the United States.
The Tianvan 1 orbiter, which will pursue its goal after freeing the Lander and Rover, is designed to run for at least one Martin year or about two years on Earth. Solar-powered rovers equipped with six wheels for mobility have a lifespan of at least 90 days, Chinese officials said.
Chinese scientists say the Tiananmen 1 mission will conduct a global survey of Mars, measure the composition of soil and rock, find signs of buried water ice, and study the Martian magnetosphere and atmosphere. The orbiter and the rover will monitor the weather on Tuesday and investigate the internal structure of Mars.
The Tianwein 1 mission is currently one of three spacecraft en route to Mars. NASA’s Perseverance Rover and Hope Orbiter, developed by the UAE, were launched in July, and are on their way to reach Mars in February.
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