Is there life on Mars?(13)
2023-05-30 来源:百合文库
Many hands
America and Europe have long histories of studying Mars. The UAE is a newcomer. But it is not alone in that. Another country also wants to use the current launch window to join the Mars club: China.
Tianwen-1 (“heavenly questions”) is a combined mission consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. It is built and operated by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and is also scheduled for imminent launch. Chinese officials have been tight-lipped about the exact timing and have also declined to release much detail about the mission’s scientific aims. This is not China’s first attempt at Martian space flight, however. In 2011 a Chinese craft called Yinghuo-1 attempted to hitch a ride with Phobos-Grunt, a Russian probe. Unfortunately, the rockets intended to propel the combined mission on its way malfunctioned, and it never left Earth orbit.
The little that is known of Tianwen-1 suggests that it will study the distribution of ice on Mars and examine how the planet’s habitability has changed over time. The various craft involved will host around a dozen scientific instruments, including cameras, chemistry sets, magnetometers and radars. Officials from the CNSA have said that the mission would make detailed surveys of the Martian surface. A ground-penetrating radar, for example, will measure the thickness and composition of layers within the regolith and identify any ice that is within 100 metres of the surface.
America and Europe have long histories of studying Mars. The UAE is a newcomer. But it is not alone in that. Another country also wants to use the current launch window to join the Mars club: China.
Tianwen-1 (“heavenly questions”) is a combined mission consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover. It is built and operated by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and is also scheduled for imminent launch. Chinese officials have been tight-lipped about the exact timing and have also declined to release much detail about the mission’s scientific aims. This is not China’s first attempt at Martian space flight, however. In 2011 a Chinese craft called Yinghuo-1 attempted to hitch a ride with Phobos-Grunt, a Russian probe. Unfortunately, the rockets intended to propel the combined mission on its way malfunctioned, and it never left Earth orbit.
The little that is known of Tianwen-1 suggests that it will study the distribution of ice on Mars and examine how the planet’s habitability has changed over time. The various craft involved will host around a dozen scientific instruments, including cameras, chemistry sets, magnetometers and radars. Officials from the CNSA have said that the mission would make detailed surveys of the Martian surface. A ground-penetrating radar, for example, will measure the thickness and composition of layers within the regolith and identify any ice that is within 100 metres of the surface.
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