Beijing – what a picture! The Chinese Mars probe Tianwen-1 (“Heavenly Questions”) has now sent a selfie from Mars. A real surprise for all space lovers.
Bild explains the mission.
How did the picture come about?
Quite simply: the space probe brought a special camera from Earth. This was deployed during orbit around Mars and controlled by remote control. This is how this adorable selfie came into being. The somewhat reserved Chinese space agency wrote: “The color images show the orbiter flying in orbit around the Red Planet, the Martian arctic ice cap and a scene in the arid plain of Mars.”
The Mars probe was carried into space by a Long March rocketFoto: Pu Xiaoxu / dpa
What are the Chinese doing on Mars?
After arriving nearly a year ago, the spacecraft launched a rover onto the surface of Mars. It is supposed to explore the planet and has already traveled more than 1,400 km. Besides the United States, China is the only space country that has so far dropped a rover on the Red Planet without any problems. There is a particular challenge to landing due to the thin atmosphere.
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