Complete the established inspection mission to form 10GB of raw data
"Zhurong" expands to detect water ice
It was a bizarre world of brown-red: near, on the brown-red sand, two rows of shallow driving traces stretched away; in the distance, low, brown-red hills outlined the undulating skyline; above, brown-red The sky looked blank and misty.
This is a real picture of the Martian Utopia Plain about 400 million kilometers away from the Earth, and it is one of the masterpieces of the Earth’s messenger "Zhu Rong" Mars rover.
From the successful landing on that planet on May 15th this year to August 15th, "Zhurong" spent a full 90 Mars days and traveled a total of 889 meters.
During the period, it activated all scientific payloads, carried out in-depth exploration activities with the "18 types" equipment it carried, and obtained about 10GB of raw data. It successfully completed the assigned missions of inspection and detection and entered the implementation stage of expansion tasks. He has made outstanding contributions to better understand Mars and reveal the secrets of Mars.
Excellent condition
Some aspects exceeded expectations
From the launch in Wenchang, Hainan on July 23, 2020 to the arrival near Mars in February 2021 for Mars capture; from May 15, 2021, the successful landing in the pre-selected landing area in the southern Utopia Plain of Mars to May 19 with the lander Successfully separated and sailed to the surface of Mars; from the release of the first scientific image maps of Mars on June 11, 2021 to the release of the global environment perception image and movement process video of Mars on June 27, the "Zhu Rong" rover realized China's space flight one by one. The historic breakthrough has attracted the attention of the whole world.
After hundreds of millions of kilometers of long interstellar travel, and working on the harsh surface of Mars for more than three months, what is the current status of "Zhurong"?
In this regard, Sun Zezhou, chief designer of the probe system for the first Mars exploration mission, said that the design life of the "Zhu Rong" rover is 90 Mars days, and it has been overdue for service, but its conditions are excellent in all aspects, and its performance is as expected. In line with or even exceed expectations in some respects.
Sun Zezhou further explained that in terms of energy supply, Zhurong is very sufficient, even better than previously expected; in terms of thermal control, one of the biggest key points to ensure its safe operation, the relevant technology applied by Zhurong can effectively reduce solar energy. It is converted into heat, so that it can maintain an ideal temperature level at night on Mars.
The "Zhurong" landing area has a better climate and meteorological environment, which provides better conditions for its "survival" and exploration.
According to Liu Jianjun, chief designer of the ground application system for China's first Mars exploration mission, Mars is currently in the period of spring and summer, and the temperature and wind speed are relatively moderate, providing a suitable environment for the rover to patrol and explore.
Detection data show that when the "Zhurong" was working around noon, the temperature was about minus 20 degrees Celsius to minus 10 degrees Celsius, and the wind was about 2 to 8 meters per second breeze.
Tiangong is beautiful, it is time to explore Mars.
Harvest
6 loads form 10GB data
Since its soft landing on Mars for more than 90 days, the "Zhu Rong" has carried out patrolling and exploration activities in full swing in accordance with the efficient working mode of "a seven-day cycle, one plan per day, and daily detection".
According to Liu Jianjun, the six scientific payloads on the "Zhurong" rover are all showing their talents. Among them, the Mars meteorological instrument is used to monitor the time and space changes of the surface temperature, pressure, wind field and sound of Mars; the surface detection of Mars rover. Radar is used to detect the underground layering and thickness of Martian soil. During the movement of the rover, it continuously detects the size and distribution characteristics of underground materials, and constrains the underground layered structure in the vertical and horizontal directions, restricting groundwater ice and volatile matter. Distribution.
In addition, Mars surface composition detectors, multi-spectral cameras, navigation terrain cameras, and Mars surface magnetic field detectors also showed their talents in the process of "Zhurong" stopping to carry out in-position detection.
So far, the 6 scientific payloads mentioned above have acquired 10GB of original data.
It is understood that the data obtained by the scientific payload has completed the relevant processing and quality verification work, and has formed a standard data product. The China Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Network has opened data applications to domestic scientific research teams a few days ago, and the follow-up will be approved on a monthly basis. Publish scientific data.
Liu Jianjun expressed that he hoped that by providing these effective data to scientists in related fields, he could gain in-depth understanding of the geological conditions of the "Zhurong" exploration area, and in particular, further search for evidence that the utopian plains were ancient oceans.
Relay flight
Helping Earth Fire Data Communication
The Utopia Plain is empty and lonely, but "Zhurong" is not alone. It has two "little partners" working hand in hand. One is a lander that supports it to reach the surface of Mars safely, and the other is an orbiter that circumvents Mars after being separated from it. After being separated from the "Zhurong", the latter rose to a relay orbit and transformed into a communicator to establish a relay communication channel between the "Zhurong" and the earth.
It is with the information relay "Golden Bridge" set up by the orbiter that the "Zhu Rong" hundreds of millions of kilometers away can send the detected data to the earth in time.
According to Sun Zezhou, since the "Zhu Rong" landed on Mars and started exploration, the orbiter has been silently assuming the role of data relay and showing excellent performance.
For the surround device, two major problems must be solved to take on the role of relay communication.
The first is the maintenance of the relay track.
The orbiter must always be kept on the relay track to keep the communication link smooth and efficient. For this reason, it has carried out multiple orbit maintenance during its operation to ensure stable operation on the relay communication track.
The second is to solve the problem of energy supply.
According to Zhu Qinghua, the deputy chief designer of the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the orbiter carries two solar cell arrays, and at the same time, through optimizing the working mode of the equipment on the adjuster, it successfully copes with the energy problem caused by insufficient light and guarantees continuous energy. Supply.
The orbiter stands high and sees far. The landing area of the "Zhurong" was inspected through the payload and high-resolution topographic data were obtained to help scientists better analyze the geological background and formulate different stages of the "Zhurong" Scientific exploration planning.
Looking for water ice
Expand the mission and have high ambitions
The "Zhu Rong", which has completed its scheduled inspection mission for overdue service, has undiminished ambitions, and it will strive to do more in the next phase of the expansion mission.
According to the current good state, "Zhurong" will continue to maintain an efficient detection mode.
According to Sun Zezhou, the next step "Zhu Rong" will drive toward the ancient sea-land junction south of the landing site, where the altitude is constantly rising, and will conduct patrols along the way with rocks, sand dunes, impact craters, trenches, and suspected mud volcanoes as targets. Probe.
In terms of detection style, "Zhu Rong" will make necessary adjustments.
Sun Zezhou said frankly, "Zhu Rong" arrived for the first time, in the first 90 days of Mars, its patrol and detection movements were particularly cautious.
With the accumulation of experience and familiarity and adaptation to the environment, "Zhurong" may be bolder in the implementation of follow-up missions, and even do some extreme tests, so as to accumulate richer experience for autonomous inspections and detection of other extraterrestrial bodies in the future And technical reserves.
From mid-September to late October, the "Zhurong" and the orbiter will face the test of the "sun transit phenomenon". During this period, Mars and the earth will travel to both sides of the sun, and the three will be almost in a straight line.
Interfered by the electromagnetic radiation of the sun caught in the middle, the communication between the orbiter and the earth will be interrupted for about 50 days.
In response to the "sunlight phenomenon", the orbiter and the "Zhurong" will be turned into a safe mode and detection work will be suspended.
According to Zhang Rongqiao, the chief designer of China’s first Mars exploration mission project, after the end of the day, the orbiter will select the opportunity to enter the remote sensing mission orbit to carry out global remote sensing exploration of Mars to obtain the topography and geological structure of Mars, the surface material composition and the distribution of soil types, and the atmosphere. Scientific data such as the ionosphere and Mars space environment, while taking into account the relay communication of the "Zhurong" mission expansion stage.
Zhang Rongqiao said: "After the solar transit ends in early November, the Mars exploration plan will need to be adjusted. Specifically, the orbiter's mission will be shifted to focus on the global orbit of Mars, while taking into account the'Zhurong' rover. Patrol and detect traces.” Zhang Rongqiao emphasized that the above adjustments were made by comprehensive consideration of the overall mission of'circling, landing, and patrolling Mars' in one launch.
The successful completion of the established detection tasks has laid a good foundation for the implementation of the expansion tasks. The scientific research team will continue to strive for excellence and strive to obtain more effective detection data for scientific research.
Liu Jianjun revealed that the orbiter will work with the "Zhurong" to search for the presence of water ice outside the landing zone.
He said that for some key exploration areas, the scientific research team has related plans.
In addition, the scientific research team is inviting scientists who are engaged in Mars research across the country and even internationally to ask them to propose detection objects for subsequent remote sensing detection, such as areas where water ice may exist, and focus on targeted detection.
Our reporter Zhang Baoshu