LOL I didn't expect our interesting neighbors across the Pearl River to be the first bringing the coordinates of the Chinese Mars Rover...
https://twitter.com/sklplanets/status/1393361045347966978?s=19
For the record landing time (I assume Earth receive time?) was 23:18 UTC May 14: m.weibo.cn/7340734455/463…
Zhurong becomes the 1st Mars rover to land sitting on the deck of a "conventional" lander, first foreseen for the cancelled Mars Surveyor '01 lander.
Zhurong becomes the 1st Mars rover to land sitting on the deck of a "conventional" lander, first foreseen for the cancelled Mars Surveyor '01 lander.
Deployment animation of Zhurong, which should happen within the next 3 sols per reports.
Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences mp.weixin.qq.com/s/CHHEsu9WuSYD…
Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences mp.weixin.qq.com/s/CHHEsu9WuSYD…
Outer Solar Arrays movement:
Sideways driving:
Turning around:
Mast and HGA deployment, coming soon:
Some very hazy timing of pre-EDL events on the 14th:
17:XX UTC - Orbiter engine burn lowering periapsis
20:XX UTC - Lander separates from orbiter
"~30 minutes after separation" - Orbiter re-raises orbit
17:XX UTC - Orbiter engine burn lowering periapsis
20:XX UTC - Lander separates from orbiter
"~30 minutes after separation" - Orbiter re-raises orbit
https://twitter.com/Yeqzids/status/1393373719314137091?s=20
On CCTV it was reported that "first opportunity to downlink photos will be around midday-afternoon BJT", i.e. within next few hours. The relay orbiter is currently on the opposite side of Mars.
(I wonder if it's the TW-1 orbiter or one of ESA's? @esaoperations are you involved?)
(I wonder if it's the TW-1 orbiter or one of ESA's? @esaoperations are you involved?)
This video confirms that the lander has descent imaging and LIDAR for obstacles avoidance. Hopefully they will be downlinked soon! (*clicks on @HiRISE site in preparation*)
t.cn/A6VLIstj
t.cn/A6VLIstj
Big Red Screen (TM)
According to CCTV Xi Jinping has made a congratulatory phone call to the TW-1 lander/rover team, giving it the same attention as @POTUS did with Perseverance etc.
According to CCTV Xi Jinping has made a congratulatory phone call to the TW-1 lander/rover team, giving it the same attention as @POTUS did with Perseverance etc.
It appears the initial reported coordinates are off, MCC screen shows 25.1 N, 109.9 E instead.
Turns out that the solar panels, mast and HGA deployment were already completed some hours ago (and reported during the CCTV program).
The usual DSN link session with Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is going on. I wonder if it have tried to take photos of the landing (site) this time? 🤔
Back to the Zhurong rover, CNSA vice-chief Wu Yanhua reports on the following future plans:
May 22 - rover rolls off lander deck
May 27 - Lander/rover mutual photographing session (so lander has deck cameras too)
May 28 - 1st scientific data downlink
m.weibo.cn/detail/4637113…
May 22 - rover rolls off lander deck
May 27 - Lander/rover mutual photographing session (so lander has deck cameras too)
May 28 - 1st scientific data downlink
m.weibo.cn/detail/4637113…
Meanwhile the orbiter as it turns out only returned back to its 2-sol period orbit after the re-raising burn (see @ea4gpz’s blog). It will make another orbit before lowering its orbit apoapsis to 15000 km (1/3-sol period) to allow for twice-daily communication sessions w/ rover.
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