China shares the first photos of the Martian explorer Zhurong

On Wednesday, China released the first photos taken by unmanned explorer Zhurong after landing on Mars. The Zhurong landed on Mars in the Utopia Planitia crater on Saturday. This plain was created billions of years ago by the impact of a space rock. There may have been an ocean once, and there is a possibility that ice existed deep underground.

The Chinese Scouts are named after the legendary god of fire. The mobile laboratory is full of scientific devices. With this, China wants to find traces of life and map the surface and soil of Mars.

Drop sharply

China is the third country to successfully land a searchlight on the red planet. Previously, only the Soviet Union and the United States succeeded. After a failed previous mission, Europe wants to join that group in 2023.

Crossing hundreds of millions of kilometers to Mars is indeed difficult, but the last minutes before landing are even more difficult. Ships cruise through Mars’ atmosphere at high speed, and are so thin that they barely slow down compared to planets like Venus or Earth. Zhurong used a compact protective capsule with parachute missiles and brakes to land safely.