Tianwen-1 Rover Discovers Evidence of Ancient High Latitudes on Mars
On May 14th, 2021, China’s Tianwen-1 mission made history by landing the Zhurong rover on Mars. This marked the first successful touchdown of a Chinese spacecraft on the red planet. Now, a new study has found evidence that the rover landed in one of the highest latitudes ever explored on Mars.
The research, conducted by a team of Chinese and American scientists and published in the journal Science Advances, suggests that the Zhurong rover landed at 19.9 degrees North latitude. This is significantly higher than the 10 degrees North latitude that had previously been the highest latitude explored on Mars. The study also found that the rover’s landing site has an average temperature of -46 degrees Celsius and is covered by a thick layer of dust.
These findings are important, as they provide valuable insights into the conditions of the Martian surface and atmosphere. This information will help scientists better understand the composition of the planet, as well as the effects of its extreme environment on any possible life forms.
source: Phys.org