Global Courant 2023-04-25 10:57:56
BEIJING — China’s fully robotic rover on Mars, which has been hibernating longer than expected since May 2022, likely encountered excessive sand and dust buildup, the mission designer said, breaking months of silence on the vehicle’s status.
The motorized rover Zhurong, named after a mythical Chinese god of fire, was expected to have awakened in December after entering a scheduled sleep mode in May 2022, when declining solar radiation with the arrival of winter reduced power generation.
An unforeseen buildup of dust most likely impacted Zhurong’s power generation and ability to wake up, China’s state television reported Tuesday, citing Mr. Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China’s Mars exploration program.
A camera aboard a NASA probe orbiting Mars showed that the Chinese rover had not moved since September, according to official images.
The 240 kg Zhurong, which has six scientific instruments including a high-resolution topographic camera, was tasked with studying the planet’s surface soil and atmosphere after landing without mishap in May 2021.
Powered by solar energy, Zhurong also searched for signs of ancient life, including subsurface water and ice, using ground-penetrating radar.
The rover had explored the Martian surface for 358 days and covered 1,921 meters, Mr. Zhang said, much longer than the original three-month mission duration.
In addition to Zhurong, two other rovers are active on Mars: Nasa’s Perseverance and Curiosity, the former roaming the planet’s surface for more than two years and the latter for more than a decade. REUTERS
