[Global Times Special Correspondent Chen Yang] In the past 2020, the UAE, China and the United States launched three Mars probes one after another.

After months of long-distance travel in space, around February 2021, three groups of "earth visitors" will intensively visit the mysterious red planet Mars, and they will each undertake different scientific investigation missions.

Tianwen No.1 is expected to make history

　　"Global Times" reporter learned from the National Space Administration that as of 6 o'clock on January 3, the China Tianwen-1 Mars rover has been in orbit for 163 days, with a flight mileage of over 400 million kilometers, and a distance of about 130 million kilometers from the earth. About 8.3 million kilometers.

The probe has a stable attitude. According to the plan, it will implement near-fire braking in more than a month, enter the ring-fire orbit, and prepare to land on Mars.

　　The Tianwen-1 mission is the first step in my country's independent interplanetary exploration. It will "circle, land, and patrol" Mars through a single launch, that is, Mars orbit, Mars landing, and fire patrol.

The Tianwen-1 probe has a total weight of about 5 tons and is composed of an orbiter and a landing patrol device. The landing patrol device mainly includes an entry module and a Mars rover.

At present, the orbiter has completed the third on-orbit self-check, and all systems are working normally.

　　The website of the British "Nature" magazine stated that if China Tianwen No.1 can complete the three major tasks of "circumnavigation, patrol and patrol" at one time, it will create a new historical record.

According to the report, after Tianwen-1 enters the Martian orbit, it will first spend about two or three months to conduct detailed surveys of the planned landing area on the surface of Mars. After that, the landing patrol will be separated from the orbiter, and the parachute and reverse thrust rocket will be used to land on the surface of Mars. .

After that, the six-wheel Mars rover will carry out a 90-day Martian (earth time about 3 months) scientific research mission on the surface of Mars, including the use of radar to see through the deep underground, collect rock and soil samples, and draw a map of the Martian geological structure.

The orbiter will continue to fly in Mars orbit and act as a communication relay station.

　　Raymond Avison, a planetary geologist at the University of Washington in the United States, said that although the United States has sent probes to Mars to perform similar missions before, Mars is large and its geological history is complex. The scheduled landing area of ​​China Tianwen-1 was previously No one has ever set foot, so the data it obtains can benefit astronomers around the world.

UAE and U.S. detectors each have their own strengths

　　The British "New Scientist" website stated that the Mars rover in the UAE and the U.S. will act first before the China Tianwen-1 rover landed.

Among them, the UAE's "Hope" probe will arrive in Mars orbit as early as February 9.

　　According to the report, the "Hope" is not only the first planetary probe in Arab countries, but also the first global weather map of Mars.

Unlike the Sino-US Mars probe, it will not land on Mars, but will orbit Mars for about two years in an orbit from 20,000 to 40,000 kilometers from the surface of Mars.

It will use its own various scientific research equipment to collect meteorological data from different areas of Mars at different times like a meteorological satellite, helping researchers to understand and master the climate conditions of Mars more comprehensively.

This helps to study the mystery of Mars drying up.

　　The US "Perseverance" Mars rover is expected to arrive on Mars on February 18 and begin landing procedures.

It carries the fifth rover launched by the United States, and NASA hopes it can find evidence of life on Mars.

The Perseverance plans to land in the Jezero Crater on Mars.

American astrobiologist Shirley Cardi said that Perseverance is the best opportunity for scientists to understand whether there is life on the red planet.

According to reports, its main mission is to assess the livability of Mars in ancient times and to find traces of microorganisms on Mars.

To this end, "Perseverance" will use robotic arms to drill samples of Martian soil and sediment, and seal them up for future return to Earth by other Mars missions, becoming "the first sample ever returned from Mars."

　　Another special payload carried by the Perseverance is the Martian Helicopter.

This micro-UAV will be the first helicopter that mankind will test fly on another planet.

Because the Martian atmosphere is thin and the density is only 1% of the earth, it is difficult to generate lift even if the wings rotate at a high speed. The maximum flying height of a Martian helicopter is only 5 meters, and the flight time is controlled within 90 seconds, but this is still For the first time, scientists' understanding of the Martian environment provides a unique aerial perspective.

　Robot dog may help Mars exploration

　　The BBC website stated that humans have launched more than 40 probes to Mars, and more than half have failed to succeed.

The reasons for the difficulty of Mars exploration include the long distance between the earth and Mars, the extremely challenging "seven minutes of terror" experienced by landing on Mars, and the unexpected risks brought by the special terrain on the surface of Mars.

South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo said that in order to adapt to the rugged mountains on the surface of Mars, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is studying the replacement of wheeled Mars rover with autonomous walking robot dogs.

According to reports, the robot dog was modified from the four-legged robot dog "Spot" of Boston Dynamics.

At present, the wheeled rover is only suitable for walking on flat ground, but most of the Mars areas that scientists hope to explore are located in rugged mountainous areas or even underground caves.

Moreover, "Spot" is very agile, reaching a speed of 5 kilometers per hour, while the speed of the rover is only 0.14 kilometers per hour.

NASA scientists said: "Spot can stand up on its own even if it falls, which is very suitable for exploring the terrain of Mars."