Chinese Mars rover publishes new images of a red planet, including a self-portrait | Science

According to Andrew Jones, a journalist at Space News, the cool “selfie” involved placing a small wireless camera on the surface of the Red Planet and allowing the Chinese Mars rover to take a picture of itself from some distance.

Another image shows the landing platform from which the Mars probe launched after landing. The panorama, which can also be viewed in VR, shows a wide view of Mars and where the lander, according to Jones, emptied fluids to allow for a safe landing.

At the end of last month, the Chinese Mars rover Zhurong, named after the mythical god of fire, transmitted the first images it had taken on Mars. The Chinese space agency CNSA has also released some animations showing Zhurong leaving a space capsule on his way to Mars.

Zhurong was launched in July last year as part of the Tianwen-1 space mission. The Mars probe entered orbit around the Red Planet in February, and then spent three months studying its planned landing site. With the successful landing of the Zhurong rover at the end of May, China has become the third country to successfully land a Mars rover on the Red Planet. The United States and Russia preceded China.

The rover weighs 240 kilograms and carries six scientific instruments, including a high-resolution topographic camera. His task is to study the soil and atmosphere of the red planet. In addition, he will look for traces of life. Using so-called ground-penetrating radar, it will attempt to find water and ice beneath the surface during the 90-day mission.