CNSA - Tianwen-1 (天問-1) Mission to Mars logo.
April 28, 2023
According to Zhang Rongqiao (chief designer of the Tianwen-1 mission), the Zhurong rover is still in sleep mode. In May 2022, the Zhurong rover has been switched to sleep mode, in order to cope with a dust storm and the Martian winter.
The mystery is, perhaps, solved: China explains the reasons for the hibernation state of its rover on Mars that has been stopped since May 2022.
The fully robotic Chinese rover has been in a longer-than-expected state of lockdown, since approximately May 2022. For months, China has not given an explanation. Via Weixin (WeChat), it is learned that the vehicle has likely encountered an excessive accumulation of sand and dust, breaking months of silence on the robot’s status.
The website states that “The Tianwen-1 mission team found that the patrol area of the Martian rover “Zhurong” experienced a dust storm process through the medium-resolution images obtained by the orbiter. Scientists compared the typical landforms (especially the impact crater rim) in the 120m-resolution images of the “Zhurong” inspection area on March 16 and April 30, 2022, the change of the generation current of vehicle’s reflected solar wing energy can determine that the local area is experiencing a strong time of sand and dust.
Zhurong rover. Image Credit: CNSA
At present, the Mars rover inspection area has entered winter, and the maximum temperature during the day has dropped below minus 20°C, and the minimum temperature at night has dropped to minus 100°C. Martian winter, with solstice in mid-July. In response to the reduced power generation capacity of the solar wings caused by sand and dust and extremely low ambient temperature in winter, according to the design plan and flight control strategy, the rover entered standby mode on May 18, 2022. Suspension. “
The motorized rover Zhurong, named after a mythical Chinese god of fire, was expected to wake up in December after going into a scheduled sleep mode in May 2022, when the fall in solar radiation with the onset of winter reduced the production of energy. An unexpected accumulation of dust likely affected Zhurong’s energy production and ability to awaken. Chinese state television reported on Tuesdayand, citing Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China’s Mars exploration program.
Image above: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) images of the position of Zhurong rover. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
The statement follows the release of images taken by the camera aboard a NASA probe (MRO), in orbit around Mars, which show that the Chinese rover hasn’t moved since at least September, according to official images. The Zhurong rover, which weighs 240 kg and is equipped with six scientific instruments, including a high-resolution topographic camera, was tasked with studying the planet’s soil and atmosphere after landing without incident in May 2021.
Powered by the ‘solar power, Zhurong also searched for signs of life, including water and ice underground, using ground-penetrating radar. The rover explored the Martian surface for 358 days and traveled 1,921 meters (2,100 yards), Zhang said, far exceeding the mission’s original duration of three months. In addition to Zhurong, two other robotic rovers have been operating on Mars: NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity, the former has been exploring the planet’s surface for more than two years, and the latter for more than a decade.
Related articles:
Chinese scientists hold out hope for silent Zhurong Mars rover
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/03/chinese-scientists-hold-out-hope-for.html
NASA Mars orbiter reveals China’s Zhurong rover has not moved for months
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/02/nasa-mars-orbiter-reveals-chinas.html
China silent on fate of Zhurong Mars rover on 2nd anniversary of Tianwen-1 mission
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/02/china-silent-on-fate-of-zhurong-mars.html
What’s happened to China’s first Mars rover?
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/01/whats-happened-to-chinas-first-mars.html
China’s Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter and rover appear to be in trouble
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/01/chinas-tianwen-1-mars-orbiter-and-rover.html
Related link:
China National Space Administration (CNSA): http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/
Images (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: China National Space Administration (CNSA)/China Central Television (CCTV)/NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona/SciNews/Weixin/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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