Solar panels scattered in an extraterrestrial landscape, ramps and antennas pointing towards the horizon of Mars: The first Chinese robot to land on the Red Planet sent its first self-images to Earth Specialized site reports space.

On Wednesday, May 19, four days after the Zhurong rover arrived on the red planet, the Chinese space agency released the first images: a black and white image, facing the front of the device and taken with a large rectangle. Ramp descending from the landing platform.

A color image captured with a navigation camera on the back of the device reveals that the solar panels are spread out like butterfly wings. In the back, we can see ocher Martian soil. The Chinese agency also released a short video when the Tianwen-1 orbiter shot down the landing craft and the rover.

Promising site

“The first images show a floor on which the probe can move easily.” Respect in nature Alfred McQueen, A planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, Tucson. According to him and other specialists interviewed by the scientific journal, the landscapes revealed by the first images indicate that the rover is installed in a promising location. The flat location means that Zhurong can easily reach areas of geological interest within a few kilometers.

“To the northeast, a mud volcano could be a relief of particular importance,” pointing to nature, Who sanctifies Another article with geological curiosity It could potentially be within reach of a Chinese robot, which sparks scientists. Zhurong is the first Chinese robot on the surface of the Red Planet. But he is not the only one. Currently, the missions of curiosity and perseverance – this one arriving in February – are exploring our close neighbor.

Zhurong is set to spend three months surveying the surrounding area, taking photos and collecting geographical data, but he can stay longer and travel longer distances, he understands. nature, Which depends on what other solar powered robots are able to do.