China Shares Mars View From Above, Shrouded In Fiery Red And Ice

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has released images from the Tianwen-1 mission. (photo: : CNSA)

JAKARTA - Usually we only see craters and hills from Mars, but thanks to the Tianwen-1 mission, the planet is now visible from above. Although not entirely, but very amazing.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has released images from the Tianwen-1 mission, including the spacecraft orbiting around Mars.

The photo was taken by a removable sensor equipped with two wide-angle lenses on the outer wall of the probe controlled from Earth.

The image shows the probe Tianwen-1 circling over Mars' north pole. That's because Mars' white layer of polar ice on the planet is visible in the image, but unlike Earth's polar ice sheet, which is made up of water ice alone.

The ice sheet on Mars consists of a mixture of solid carbon dioxide and water. You can also see the other side of Mars-like the famous Korolev ice crater. The images also include one taken on the planet's surface by explorer Zhu Rong.

Citing Digital Trends, Monday, January 3, Zhu Rong shows the surface of Mars which reveals the topography of Mars, including craters and rocks.

“As of December 31, 2021, the Tianwen-1 orbiter has worked in orbit for 526 days, at a distance of about 350 million km above Earth. Zhurong has worked on the surface of the Red Planet for 225 days on Mars and covered a distance of 1.400 meters," said CNSA.

“The Tianwen-1 mission is carrying out a planned exploration and test task, acquiring approximately 560 gigabytes (GB) of data. Both the orbiter and rover are in good condition and operating normally."

For your information, the Tianwen mission has heavenly meaning to the Chinese and is a milestone for China's ambitious space program.

Launched on July 23, 2020, Tianwen-1 orbited Mars seven months later. Meanwhile, in May last year, Zhu Rong who was named after the Chinese god of fire landed on the planet. Its mission is to explore the surface and geology, as well as the magnetic field, soil, and atmosphere composition on Mars.

By launching both, China became the second country after the United States (US) to successfully land a spacecraft operating on Mars. And in some time, China is also planning to launch a mission to the Moon to overtake the US.