This tweet from the HiRISE groups shows views of various hardware on Mars surface from Chinas mission, such as the lander and backshell.
Early on in the Zhurong objective, the HiRISE cam on MRO spotted the lander and rover, as seen from orbit. Our lead image is the latest view from HiRISE, showing the rovers path and new place, letting us follow along on how far the rover has actually taken a trip in the 10 months because it landed. In this image below programs Zhurongs whole trip, and if you look carefully (click this link to be able to zoom into the image) you can even see the rover tracks. Like the majority of Mars orbiting video cameras, HiRISE gets images in long, thin strips. With that type of power, it can spot the various Mars landers and rovers on the surface, consisting of Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance.
In case you missed the other parts of todays HiPOD observation (connected in the text). pic.twitter.com/ZhuZxxmBGM
— HiRISE: Beautiful Mars (NASA) (@HiRISE) March 18, 2022
Chinas Tianwen-1 lander and Zhurong rover touched down on the Martian plain Utopia Planitia on May 14, 2021 after spending about 3 months orbiting the Red Planet. While the Chinese Space Agency has actually shared images of the rover and lander (including a charming household portrait taken by a wireless remote video camera), NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has actually been following the rovers travels from above.
Tianwen-1 Lander and Zhurong Rover in Southern Utopia Planitia quickly after landing in May 2021. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona
Early on in the Zhurong objective, the HiRISE electronic camera on MRO found the lander and rover, as seen from orbit. Our lead image is the latest view from HiRISE, revealing the rovers path and new area, letting us follow along on how far the rover has actually traveled in the 10 months because it landed. This image was gotten on March 11, 2022.
However in this image listed below shows Zhurongs entire journey, and if you look closely (click this link to be able to zoom into the image) you can even see the rover tracks. The HiRISE team composed on their blog that “Its specific course can be traced from the wheel tracks left on the surface. It has taken a trip south for approximately 1.5 kilometers (about 1 mile).” The imaging group has actually included contrast so that the tracks are more noticeable.
HiRISE image revealing tracks and the most present imaged area of the Zhurong rover. Credit: NASA/JPL/UArizona.
Like a lot of Mars orbiting cams, HiRISE obtains images in long, thin strips. Due to the fact that of how the video camera detectors are set up– with 10 detectors lined up in a range– each strip covers about 5 kilometers wide. But HiRISE has two additional pairs of detectors on the 2 middle strips to get color data, so theres a central color swath about 1 kilometer large.
With that type of power, it can find the various Mars landers and rovers on the surface area, consisting of Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance. HiRISE even captured Curiosity and Perseverance as they were coming down under parachutes to the surface area.
The Mars 2020 descent phase holding NASAs Perseverance rover can be seen failing the Martian atmosphere, its parachute routing behind, in this image taken on February 18, 2021 by the HiRISE video camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
Richard Leis, a member of the HiRISE group stated on Twitter that because of the quantity of area covered by the HiRISE image strips, it constantly takes some time and skill to identify human-placed artifacts on Mars surface area:.
These @HiRISE observations are so substantial, it takes some practice to identify the Earth hardware sitting on the Martian landscape. Thats one of the tasks of my small validation group: they search the image for the anticipated hardware and record the x- and y-coordinates. https://t.co/wmXMqx38st.
— Richard Leis ✍( @richardleisjr) March 18, 2022. Initially published on Universe Today.