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Published: 21:07, July 15, 2021
China releases new photos taken by Mars rover
By Zhao Lei
Published:21:07, July 15, 2021 By Zhao Lei

The China National Space Administration published on July 15, 2021 three pictures taken recently by China's Mars rover Zhurong Mars that showed the parachute and bowl-shaped back shell used in the rover's landing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINADAILY.COM.CN)

The China National Space Administration published on Thursday three pictures taken recently by its Mars roverZhurongthat showed the parachute and bowl-shaped back shell used in the rover's landing.

The pictures – one color and two black-and-white – were shot by Zhurong's navigation camera on Monday as the rover was traveling southward for its scientific exploration, the administration said in a statement released with the photos.

ALSO READ: China releases new images taken by Mars rover

This photo taken by China's Mars rover Zhurong and published by the China National Space Administration on July 15, 2021 shows parachute and back shell that were used in the rover's landing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINADAILY.COM.CN)

The parachute and back shell can be clearly seen in the pictures. They were about 30 meters from the rover and 350 meters from the landing site, according to the statement.

As of Thursday afternoon, Zhurong, named after the Chinese god of fire in ancient mythology, had operated 60 days on Mars and traveled 450 meters to survey the barren planet. Meanwhile, the mission's orbiter has continued traveling around the Red Planet for orbital exploration.

READ MORE: China releases new videos, images from Mars probe Tianwen-1

This photo taken by China's Mars rover Zhurong and published by the China National Space Administration on July 15, 2021 shows the wheel tread marks left by the rover, and the the parachute and bowl-shaped back shell (left) used in the rover's landing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINADAILY.COM.CN)

With an expected life span of three months, the 240-kilogram Zhurong is tasked with surveying Mars' landforms, geological structures, soil characteristics, potential locations of water and ice, and atmospheric and environmental characteristics, as well as magnetic and gravitational fields and other physical properties.

The 1.85-meter-high rover is the core component of the Tianwen 1 mission, the country's first interplanetary adventure, and is the sixth rover on the extraterrestrial planet, following five from the United States.

Tianwen 1, named after an ancient Chinese poem, was launched by a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket on July 23, 2020, from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in South China's Hainan province, beginning the nation's first mission to another planet.This photo taken by China's Mars rover Zhurong and published by the China National Space Administration on July 15, 2021 shows the parachute and bowl-shaped back shell (rear) used in the rover's landing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINADAILY.COM.CN)

The China National Space Administration published on July 15, 2021 three pictures taken recently by China's Mars rover Zhurong Mars that showed the parachute and bowl-shaped back shell used in the rover's landing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINADAILY.COM.CN)


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