It turned out that China's first Mars exploration rover ``Zhufufu'' has entered a dormant state and has not been revived, probably because of the sandstorm on Mars
by China News Network
China's first Mars exploration rover,
HiRISE | HiPOD: 21 Feb 2023
https://www.uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_077511_2055
Chinese scientists scramble to wake Mars rover, plan to send probe to investigate, sources say | South China Morning Post
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3205894/chinese-scientists-scramble-wake-mars-rover-plan-send-probe-investigate-sources-say
China silent on fate of Tianwen 1 Mars mission's Zhurong rover | Space
https://www.space.com/china-silent-zhurong-mars-rover-tianwen-1
China's Mars rover may be dead in the dust, new NASA images reveal | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/chinas-mars-rover-may-be-dead-in-the-dust-new-nasa-images-reveal
In July 2020, China's space development agency, the China National Space Administration , launched the Mars probe, Tianwen 1, equipped with Zhu Rong. Tianwen No. 1 entered Mars orbit in February 2021, and on May 14, the lander (lander) carrying Zhu Yung made a soft landing on Mars. In June, 'Video and audio of the moment of landing on Mars' taken by Zhu Rongho was released.
China's Mars Exploration Rover `` Zhu Yuan '' will release images taken at the time of descent and landing - GIGAZINE
Zhu Rong Ho is equipped with radar equipment, magnetometers, weather observation equipment, and a compound spectrum camera to investigate the composition of minerals to explore the subsurface of Mars. Although it was originally planned to operate for 90 days, Zhu Yung Go continued its activities for about a year, significantly exceeding the schedule, and entered a planned dormant state from May 2022.
The congratulatory issue was expected to return from dormancy around December, but it was said that the congratulatory issue was still dormant at the time of writing the article. Below is an image taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a multipurpose spacecraft in orbit around Mars, released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on February 21, 2023. The leftmost photo was taken in March 2022, the center in September 2022, the rightmost in February 2023, and the blue dot is Zhu Rong Ho. It can be seen that the Zhu Yuan has not moved since September 2022, and in the latest image, the entire Zhu Yuu looks brownish, indicating that dust and sand have accumulated on top.
According to Tianwen No. 1 officials, Zhu Feng Ho will return from dormancy when two conditions are met: 'The temperature of the main components, including the battery, exceeds -15 degrees Celsius' and 'The amount of power generation exceeds 140 W.' It seems that it is designed to However, it has been pointed out that it may not be possible to return from dormancy due to the temperature drop due to the harsh winter on Mars and the dust and sand accumulated on Zhu Yuan's solar panels due to dust storms that hindered solar power generation.
A Chinese space official who testified to the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong daily, said, 'From a selfie taken a few days after Zhu Rongha landed in 2021, the solar panels were very clean at the time. But a photo taken in January of the following year already showed the solar panels covered in a layer of dust.” It is not difficult to imagine that it is covered by
At the time of writing the article, there was no official declaration that Zhu Yuan had reached the end of its life, and it is possible that the temperature will rise or the dust will be blown off the solar panel by a storm, and Zhu Yung will resume its activities. is also left.
In February 2023, China's state media, Xinhua News Agency, published an article celebrating the second anniversary of Tianwen No. 1's entry into orbit. However, the article mentions Zhu Rong Ho briefly and does not mention any new images or activities.
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