Photo: CNSA
It’s getting crowded on Mars with all the human-made pieces of technology sent there this year. On May 15, China became the second country on this planet to land a rover on the surface of Mars as part of the Tianwen mission, just a few months after Perseverance did the same. It was a historical moment, by all accounts, and now comes proof that it indeed came to pass.
On Wednesday, May 19, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) released two photos sent back to Earth by the rover named Zhurong, after the Chinese god of fire. We have a black and white and a color shot of the Utopia Planitia region where the rover is now located, the first two pictures of the ground of the Red Planet taken with technology that is not American-made.
CNSA said the black and white shot was taken by an obstacle avoidance camera fitted on the front of the rover. It shows nothing but a Martian plane dotted by small rocks and the ramp the rover used to get off the lander that took it to the surface. The curved look of the planet’s horizon is attributed to the wide lens of the camera.
The second photo, a color one, was captured with the rover’s rear navigation camera. It doesn’t show much of the planet, but more of the Chinese hardware now on Mars. More to the point, we see the rover’s solar panels, extended, and its antenna. In the background, we get the reddish Martian soil we’re used to by now.
In a brief statement released shortly after the photos hit the web, NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson congratulated the Chinese for their achievement and said the U.S. and the world are anxiously looking forward to whatever Zhurong will uncover on Mars.
Oblivious to the senator’s praises, the internet is ablaze with calls for Perseverance and Zhurong to go at it in boxing matches and other violent manifestations...
CNSA said the black and white shot was taken by an obstacle avoidance camera fitted on the front of the rover. It shows nothing but a Martian plane dotted by small rocks and the ramp the rover used to get off the lander that took it to the surface. The curved look of the planet’s horizon is attributed to the wide lens of the camera.
The second photo, a color one, was captured with the rover’s rear navigation camera. It doesn’t show much of the planet, but more of the Chinese hardware now on Mars. More to the point, we see the rover’s solar panels, extended, and its antenna. In the background, we get the reddish Martian soil we’re used to by now.
In a brief statement released shortly after the photos hit the web, NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson congratulated the Chinese for their achievement and said the U.S. and the world are anxiously looking forward to whatever Zhurong will uncover on Mars.
Oblivious to the senator’s praises, the internet is ablaze with calls for Perseverance and Zhurong to go at it in boxing matches and other violent manifestations...
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