The orbiter in Figure 1 is flying over the north pole of Mars. The orbiter body is golden, the directional antenna for high-speed data communication with the ground is silver (under the orbiter body), and the solar wing is in good condition. The white area on Mars is the “ice” sheet covering the North Pole. Unlike the ice at the two poles of the Earth, the ice of Mars is composed of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) and water ice. The dark area under Mars is the Olympia Shabo, the bright circular crater in the upper left corner is named Korolev Pit, and the remaining red and dark areas are bare ground. Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hUJHZD10VONAulzIXnfFtA
On New Year day, January 1, 2022, the China National Space Administration released a set of exquisite images from the Tianwen-1 probe of thecountry’s first Mars exploration mission. This set of images includes a photo of the orbiter and Mars, a close-up of the orbiter, the North Pole ice cap of Mars, and the Zhurong rover capturing the surface of the Red Planet.
The amazing photos of the orbiter were captured by a small sub satellite while in Mars orbit, which captured and returned these fantastic images. (Read: China’s Tianwen 1 Enters into Orbit around Mars and Photo of Mars by Tianwen-1)
the solar wing on the side of the orbiter is fully deployed and the attitude is stable. An unfolded subsurface detection radar antenna is parallel to the solar wing, and the magnetometer extension rod extends to the upper left. Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hUJHZD10VONAulzIXnfFtA
A mosaic of 3 images acquired by the Zhurong Mars rover using a navigation terrain camera. In the figure, we can see typical Martian topography such as ring craters and rocks.
The Martian North Pole ice cap. The bedding is clearly visible. After years of deposition and ablation, it presents a spiral landform composed of a white ice layer centered on the pole and ground. Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hUJHZD10VONAulzIXnfFtA
Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hUJHZD10VONAulzIXnfFtA as released by China National Space Administration
Saima Baig
I am a Chartered Environmentalist from the Royal Society for the Environment, UK and co-owner of DoLocal Digital Marketing Agency Ltd, with a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University, an MBA in Finance, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics. I am passionate about science, history and environment and love to create content on these topics.
