China successfully launches first Mars mission

[Ahmet Pasha]

@PaklovesTurkiye @Goritoes @newb3e why they going to Mars??
Why not Karachi or Liaqatabad??
This is treasonous and oppression for Karachiwalas.
#KarachiKoIzzatDo #LarOBar.

 

[dbc]

oh we have the idiot again. The orbiter is mapping the planet for the next 100 days or so before deciding the best spot to have the lander take the dive. NASA is prohibited to work with Chinese space agency so we do it ourself. NASA has detailed mapping so Preserverance can dive straight into the planet once it arrives.

That makes sense, thanks. Oh the -negative rating is for the name calling. It was unnecessary, I was genuinely curious to know the reason for the May rover landing.
I would have never guessed at the reason you provided. Although according to online sources the landing site was selected (Oct 2020) long before the vehicle began orbiting Mars.

 

[Dark1]

That makes sense, thanks. Oh the -negative rating is for the name calling. It was unnecessary, I was genuinely curious to know the reason for the May rover landing.
I would have never guessed at the reason you provided. Although according to online sources the landing site was selected (Oct 2020) long before the vehicle began orbiting Mars.

Landing spot is always selected much before launch.
They are in a very elliptical orbit at the moment.
They will first make the orbit more circular.
Then orient the spacecraft.
The 3 months is excessive for selecting the exact spot to land but its a mars trip , no need to hurry.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Why is the rover landing in May 2021? why wait?

This is China’s first landing on Mars so they need to map out the terrain and select a proper location. The probably also need to account for stuff like weather (Mars does have an atmosphere). By contrast the U.S. has prior experience with landing and has already mapped the entire planet with and orbiter, so the Perseverance probe can land upon arrival.

 

[dbc]

This is China’s first landing on Mars so they need to map out the terrain and select a proper location. The probably also need to account for stuff like weather (Mars does have an atmosphere). By contrast the U.S. has prior experience with landing and has already mapped the entire planet with and orbiter, so the Perseverance probe can land upon arrival.

Frankly, my initial thought was the orbiter was charging the rover batteries to the max.
In hindsight it seems silly. Thanks for clearing it up.

 

[bshifter]

Frankly, my initial thought was the orbiter was charging the rover batteries to the max.
In hindsight it seems silly. Thanks for clearing it up.

If you really thought it was charging the batteries why did you even ask that silly question? Sorry but when you asked that question it sounded like you were trying to mock us so i called you an idiot. NASA has been to Mars quite a number of times and to nobody's surprise have complete detail maps. This is China's first time arriving so scanning the planet is the most logical thing to do. You are not gonna send a lander diving into some unknown area hoping that all goes well. What is wrong with American education these days.

 

[CAPRICORN-88]

I am just looking forward to China Mars landing and the mission appears to be on course.

According to an article I read.

The main task of China Tianwen-1 is to perform a global and extensive survey of the entire planet using the orbiter, and to send the rover to surface locations of scientific interests to conduct detailed investigations with high accuracy and resolution.
Specifically, the scientific objectives of Tianwen-1 include5: (1) to map the morphology and geological structure, (2) to investigate the surface soil characteristics and water-ice distribution, (3) to analyse the surface material composition, (4) to measure the ionosphere and the characteristics of the Martian climate and environment at the surface, and (5) to perceive the physical fields (electromagnetic, gravitational) and internal structure of Mars.

There are 13 scientific payloads in the Tianwen-1 mission in total.

The seven instruments on board the orbiter comprise two cameras, the Mars-Orbiting Subsurface Exploration Radar, Mars Mineralogy Spectrometer, Mars Magnetometer, Mars Ion and Neutral Particle Analyzer, and Mars Energetic Particle Analyzer.
The six instruments installed on the rover comprise the Multispectral Camera, Terrain Camera, Mars-Rover Subsurface Exploration Radar, Mars Surface Composition Detector, Mars Magnetic Field Detector, and Mars Meteorology Monitor.

 

[LKJ86]

China Releases Videos of Tianwen-1 Probe Entering Orbit around Mars

 

[LKJ86]

Dynamic footage of Tianwen-1 entering the orbit of Mars unveiled

 

[onebyone]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1361063217905233921

 

[Beast]

That makes sense, thanks. Oh the -negative rating is for the name calling. It was unnecessary, I was genuinely curious to know the reason for the May rover landing.
I would have never guessed at the reason you provided. Although according to online sources the landing site was selected (Oct 2020) long before the vehicle began orbiting Mars.

I think the negativity rating shall be removed since the negative remark is removed. If for insulting, that is another case which you can complain to moderator. Negative rating nothing to do with that posting.

 

[LKJ86]

China's Tianwen-1 probe performs orbital adjustment around Mars - Xinhua | English.news.cn

China's Tianwen-1 probe performs orbital adjustment around Mars
Source: Xinhua | 2021-02-15 18:23:54 | Editor: huaxia

BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's Tianwen-1 probe on Monday performed an orbital maneuver around Mars after it became the country's first spacecraft to explore an extraterrestrial planet.

A 3000N engine was ignited at 5 p.m. (Beijing time) to ensure the probe's trajectory passes the poles of Mars. The periareion, the point in the orbit that is closest to Mars, was adjusted to 265 km, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The spacecraft will perform several more orbital adjustments to enter a parking orbit, said the CNSA.

The probe, including an orbiter, a lander and a rover, successfully entered the Mars orbit on Feb. 10 after a nearly seven-month voyage from Earth.

The lander carrying the rover is expected to land on Mars in May or June. Chinese space engineers and scientists have chosen a relatively flat region in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a large plain, as a potential landing zone. The rover will be released after landing to conduct scientific exploration.

 

[LKJ86]

 

[JSCh]

Currently at no. 4.
Step 5 would be carried out on 20th Feb.
Then it would use the Moderate Resolution Imaging Camera (MoRIC) to map the whole planet, and the High Resolution Imaging Camera (HiRIC) for detail mapping of the landing area.
The reason for the orbit not being circular is probably because the scientific mission require it.

4. Observation Plans​

After launch, the Tianwen-1 spacecraft will experience several phases, including an Earth–Mars transfer orbit phase, a Mars capture orbit phase, a Mars parking orbit phase, a Mars landing orbit phase, and a Mars satellite orbit phase. Before entering the Mars satellite orbit, MOMAG will turn on the power for self-inspection for several times. After releasing the lander with the rover, the orbiter will enter the Mars satellite orbit, which is an eclipse polar orbit (Figure 8). The boom will be unwound and locked up, forming a 45° angle with the desk attached. MOMAG will then be powered on and will stay in operation status throughout the mission.​

Figure 8. Observation plan of Mars Orbiter Magnetometer (MOMAG) in the Mars satellite orbit.
​

Source: Mars Orbiter magnetometer of China’s First Mars Mission Tianwen-1

 

[LKJ86]

China's Tianwen-1 enters Mars parking orbit - Xinhua | English.news.cn

China's Tianwen-1 enters Mars parking orbit
Source: Xinhua | 2021-02-24 11:23:23 | Editor: huaxia

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's Tianwen-1 probe on Wednesday entered the parking orbit of Mars after performing an orbital maneuver, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

At 6:29 a.m. (Beijing Time), Tianwen-1 entered the parking orbit, with its closest point to the planet at 280 km and the farthest point at 59,000 km. It will take Tianwen-1 about two Martian days to complete a circle (a Martian day is approximately 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth), the CNSA said.

Tianwen-1, including an orbiter, a lander and a rover, will run in the orbit for about three months.

The CNSA added that payloads on the orbiter will all be switched on for scientific exploration. The medium-resolution camera, high-resolution camera and spectrometer will carry out a detailed investigation on the topography and dusty weather of the pre-selected landing area in preparation for a landing.

On July 23, 2020, Tianwen-1 was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern China's island province of Hainan.

The probe has been traveling in space for 215 days and is currently about 212 million km from Earth. It entered the orbit around Mars on Feb. 10 and performed two orbital adjustments on Feb. 15 and Feb. 20.