søndag 27. juni 2021

China releases videos of its Zhurong Mars rover

China's space agency has released video of its Zhurong rover trundling across the surface of Mars. The pictures were acquired by a wireless camera that the robot had placed on the ground. The new media release also includes sequences from Zhurong's landing in May, showing the deployment of its parachute system and the moment of touchdown.

The six-wheeled robot is investigating a region known as Utopia Planitia. The China National Space Agency (CNSA) says Zhurong has driven 236m in 42 Mars sols (as of 27 June). A sol is a Martian day. It lasts slightly longer than an Earth day, at 24 hours and 39 minutes.