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| An artist's illustration of China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft entering orbit around Mars. (Image credit: CCTV/CNSA) |
China's Tianwen 1 Mars orbiter has shifted its orbit to begin a remote sensing study of Mars after months of assisting the Zhurong rover.
The spacecraft has been circling Mars since February, and in May, Tianwen 1 launched the Zhurong rover for its successful landing attempt in Mars' Utopia Planitia. Tianwen 1's orbit saw it circle Mars three times every Martian day, or sol, including one pass above the six-wheeled rover to send data from Zhurong to Earth using its considerably bigger antennas.
Tianwen 1 fired its engines for 260 seconds on Monday (Nov. 8), boosting its speed by 256 feet (78 meters) per second, according to the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (Chinese) (Chinese). This shifted the spacecraft from orbiting once every 8 hours and 12 minutes, with the closest approach of 248 miles (400 kilometers) and the highest point of 7,456 miles (12,000 km), to orbiting once every 7 hours and 5 minutes with a periapsis of 165 miles (265 km) and an apoapsis of around 6,500 miles (10,700 km) (10,700 km).
The initial concept for Tianwen 1's scientific phase envisioned an orbit with a duration of 7 hours and 48 minutes. However, while Zhurong continues to operate long beyond its three-month primary mission, the project's scientists designed the new orbit to enable Tianwen 1 to fulfill its purpose of completing a worldwide survey of Mars and aid with sending data from Zhurong to Earth.
Tianwen 1 contains seven research instruments, including medium- and high-resolution cameras for both huge mapping regions of Mars and providing more transparent, more concentrated photos of the planet's surface. The Mars Orbiter Subsurface Investigation Radar (MOSIR), a sounding radar, will hunt for water ice under the surface. Targets of particular interest include impact craters, volcanoes, and canyons.
Tianwen 1 also includes:
- A mineralogical spectrometer for describing the surface composition.
- Particle analyzers for atmospheric investigations.
- A magnetometer.
Its orbit crosses over the poles meaning that, over time, as the spacecraft revolves and the globe spins, Tianwen 1 will be able to scan the whole surface of the planet.
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| This image released Nov. 8, 2021 shows a driving map for China's Zhurong rover on Mars as part of the Tianwen-1 mission. (Image credit: Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center (BACC)) |
This graphic depicts a driving map produced Nov. 8, 2021, for China's Zhurong rover on Mars as part of the Tianwen-1 mission.
The spacecraft has a design lifespan of two (Earth) years. However, Tianwen 1 might be programmed for prolonged operation. "At the end of next year when the orbiter's design lifetime comes to an end, we'll design new missions based on the specific conditions of the orbiter, and will then lower its orbit ... for closer observation of Mars and obtain more exploratory data," Zhu Xinbo, deputy chief designer of the orbiter, told CCTV.
The data from Tianwen 1 will also be utilized for informing and planning future Mars missions, including an ambitious Chinese Mars sample return effort that might launch as soon as 2028.
Zhurong, meanwhile, is continuing its journey south from its landing platform and has covered a total of 4,111 feet (1,253 meters), meaning the roughly 530-pound (240 kilograms) solar-powered vehicle has covered 233 feet (71 meters) since resuming activity after the recent Mars communication blackout caused by solar conjunction.
Zhurong is presently nearing a sentiment-filled trough after making a close approach to a tiny dune, according to a new route map provided by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) (CNSA).
On Sunday (Nov. 7), ESA's Mars Express made its first effort to collect data from Zhurong and then retransmit the information to Earth as part of a sequence of five similar experiments with Zhurong. A technical review session was arranged for Wednesday (Nov. 10) to analyze the success of the first data transmission attempt.
Tianwen 1 and Zhurong debuted concurrently on July 23, 2020. The duo entered orbit on Feb. 10 this year, with Zhurong landing on May 14 and sliding down from its landing platform to the Martian surface on May 22.
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