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Home , Curiosity (rover), Mariner 3, Mariner 8, Mars 1, Mars 2, Mars 3

6 CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Friday, July 24, 2020 | 7 CHINA

FACTS ABOUT

Mars is the fourth planet from the and the Wenchang second-smallest planet in our solar system. HAINAN

Lander Mars is one of the four terrestrial planets and is more like than any other planet in the system. TIANWEN 1 The earliest record of the observation of Mars can be traced to ancient Egypt around 2000 BC. The red planet made its first appearances in China’s history around 1300 BC on oracle bone inscriptions. In CHINA’S MISSION TO MARS ancient China, it was named Yinghuo , derived from ancient astronomers’ observations that it moved － like a capricious flame in the night sky. The name Aims to fulfill three scientific objectives orbiting the red includes meanings of war and unrest. It is usually planet for comprehensive observation, landing on the not difficult to see Mars with the naked eye as its Mars surface apparent magnitude is surpassed only by , the surface and sending a rover to roam the landing site. It will compound detector to Earth’s and our sun. Mars appears red-orange study high-resolution when seen from Earth because its surface contains spectral signatures of conduct scientific investigations on Mars’ soil, geological lots of oxides. Here are some other basic facts surface substances structure, environment, and water. about our planetary neighbor: Total surface area: LONG 144,798,500 sq km, about 28 percent of Earth’s MARCH 5 and nearly the same as Earth’s land area LONG JOURNEY Earth-Mars Position of Mars scientific instruments are Equatorial radius: With more than transfer when the carrier The 5-ton trajectory is launched mounted on the 3,396 km, about half that of Earth 750 metric tons Length of a solar on Mars: of propellants, will travel more than orbiter and each Long March 400 million km in the rover 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds 5 has a liftoff nearly seven months. High-resolution camera Ground-penetrating Length of a Martian : 0 weight of 869 44 to take pictures of the radars to investigate 1.881 Earth , or 687 days SUN tons. The landing site and subsurface geological is the strongest high-value zones structures and most Position of technologically Mars when the rover arrives sophisticated in Position of Earth when the carrier China’s launch is launched vehicle family. Position of Navigation and topography Mars energetic particle Earth when the camera to provide navigation rover arrives analyzer to investigate Mars and positioning for rover and energetic particles in the Earth obtain high-resolution 3D spatial environment images of the landing site Closest distance to Earth: approximately 55.7 LANDING Mars ion and neutral particle and areas around it million km, 153 times farther than the closest analyzer to study the ions and PROCESS distance between Earth and its moon neutral particles of Cruise stage Medium-resolution camera and the Martian spatial Overall mass: separation Parachute to generate remote-sensing environment 6.4171×10²0 metric tons, about a 10th that of Earth descent images of Mars Heat shield Volume: 16.318×10¹0 cu km, about 15 percent of Earth separation DRIVING DISTANCES ON MARS Escape velocity from Mars: 5.03 km/s, compared with 11.2 km/s from Earth BACK SHELL 35.76 km Back shell Average surface pressure: 2004-present 0.636 kilopascal, only 0.6 percent of Earth’s separation standard atmospheric pressure Touchdown and rover 7.7 km MARTIAN ROVER deployment 2004-2010 Planet’s structure:

0.7 km Liquid Iron- sulphur core LANDING PLATFORM 2012-present Possible solid inner core 0.1 km Mantle HEAT SHIELD 1997 Crust

0 10 20 30 40 50 Atmospheric composition: 95.1% dioxide KEY MOMENTS IN EXPLORATION OF .59% nitrogen (By launch date) 1.94% argon, October 1960 Mars 1960A (USSR) June 2003 along with traces of ACTIVE MARS MISSIONS World's first attempt to reach Mars is (European Space Agency) and water thwarted by rocket failure. First planetary expedition attempted by (2001-2019) MISSIONS TO THE RED PLANET ESA sends an orbiter and a to Atmospheric density: 0.02 kg/cu m, about 1.6 November 1964 (US) Mars. The orbiter remains operational 2019 9 percent of Earth’s First successful takes after entering orbit in December 2003, 2018 10 close-up photos of its surface in July RO but lander fails to fully deploy after Average temperature: -63 C 2017 8 VER 1965 on a flyby mission, sending back touching down on the L the first images of another planet from A because of mechanical problems. 2016 8 N D deep space. Surface gravity: 3.71 m/s squared, about 38 2015 7 ER August 2005 Mars Reconnaissance (US) percent of Earth’s 2014 7 O Orbiter (US) RB The first spacecraft to orbit another Tasked with surveying the geology and 2013 5 IT EARTH ER planet sends back more than 7,300 clear , it reaches planet in MARS 2012 5 photos of the Martian surface during 349 March 2006. It is the most advanced days of operation in orbit, beginning in 2011 4 F Mars orbiter so far and is still operational. L November 1971. YB 2010 5 Y November 2011 Fobos-Grunt () May 1971 Mars 2 (USSR) 2009 5 Mission designed to collect Martian Orbiter becomes first Soviet spacecraft 2008 6 samples and return them to Earth, but to accomplish its Mars exploration goals, fails soon after launch. Part of payload is 2007 5 sending back dozens of photos after a small Chinese orbiter. 2006 6 entering orbit in November 1971. Lander crashes during descent, becoming first November 2011 Curiosity (US) 2005 5 manmade object to hit surface of Mars. The most sophisticated, most expensive 2004 5 and biggest rover deployed to date makes May 1971 (USSR) 2003 3 a soft landing on Mars in August 2012. Lander becomes first manmade craft to 2002 2 soft-land on Mars in December 1971 but it November 2013 Mangalyaan () 3 meters 8 meters 2001 2 fails 110 seconds later. Loss of communi- Also known as the , it cations means no one knows if small sees India become the fourth party to rover, the first of its kind, was deployed. reach Mars. India's first interplanetary Average orbital speed: 24 km/s, or 86,430 km/h mission, it enters orbit in September 2014 MARTIAN August 1975 (US) and is still operational. Lander becomes second spacecraft to Existence of water: 1971 1971 1971 1971 1971 1971 2011 2011 2011 1975 1975 1975 1975 1973 1973 1973 1973 1992 1962 1962 1962 1969 1969 1969 1969 2013 2013 1988 1988 1998 1998 1996 1996 1996 1999 1996 2016 2016 2018 2018 1964 1964 2020 2020 1960 1960 2001 1964 1964 2005 2007 2003 2003 2003 2003 soft-land on Mars and the first to May 2018 InSight (US) Liquid water is believed to be successfully execute its tasks. It sets a Lander touches down on Mars in nonexistent on the Martian record for the longest Mars surface November 2018, becoming fifth

Japan surface due to its low mission – 2,307 Earth days, or nearly 6 successful US lander mission on Mars.

Emirates atmospheric pressure, while years and 4 months – that stands for July 19, 2020 nearly three decades. its two ice caps appear

Nozomi, , (United Arab Emirates) , Russia 96, Mars to be made largely of water. Yinghuo-1, China Yinghuo-1, China 1, Tianwen December 1996 Mars Pathfinder (US) The Arab world's first interplanetary United States United Spirit, Soviet Union Soviet 1, Mars Fobos-Grunt, Russia Fobos-Grunt, Soviet Union Soviet 2, Mars Soviet Union Soviet 4, Mars Soviet Union Soviet 2, Zond Soviet Union Soviet 7, Mars Soviet Union Soviet 5, Mars Soviet Union Soviet 6, Mars mission launches the Hope orbiter atop a

Soviet Union Soviet 1M No.1, Lander releases Sojourner, a small, United States United MarCO, Soviet Union Soviet 1M No.2, United States United InSight, United States United MAVEN, Mars has the highest mountain of any planet in the United States United , Soviet Union Soviet 1, Phobos Soviet Union Soviet 2, Phobos United States United Curiosity, United States United Mariner 7,

United States United , Japanese rocket. It is due to reach Mars in United States United Mariner 9, United States United Mariner 6, Union Soviet 2M No.521, United States United Mariner 4, States United , Two natural satellites States United Sojourner, wheeled robotic rover in July 1997 – the Soviet Union Soviet 2M No.522, Soviet Union Soviet No.1, 2MV-3 Soviet Union Soviet No.1, 2MV-4 － European Union European 2, Beagle Soviet Union Soviet 419, solar system , or Mount Olympus United States United Opportunity, Mars Orbiter Mission, India Mission, Orbiter Mars Phobos (about 11 km in diameter) and Union Soviet 2 lander, Mars fist rover successfully deployed on February and study its atmosphere. United States United Odyssey, Mars

United States United 1 lander, Viking － United States United Observer, Mars United States United 2 lander, Viking United States United 1 orbiter, Viking which is also one of the system's largest United States United 2 orbiter, Viking European Union European Express, Mars Deimos (about 6 km in diameter) States United Pathfinder, Mars another planet. July 23, 2020 Tianwen 1 (China)

United States United Lander, Polar Mars volcanoes. It has a height of nearly 22 km, about two April (US) China's first independent Mars United States United Orbiter, Climate Mars Soviet Union Soviet , Rover 3 Prop-M Mars United States United Surveyor, Global Mars and a half times the height of Earth's Qomolangma Orbiter looks for existence of water and exploration program plans to place an －known as Mount Everest in the West. European Union European EDM lander, Schiaparelli ice on Mars. It enters orbit in October orbiter in Martian orbit and deploy a 2001 and is still working, making it the lander and a rover on the planet's surface United States United Orbiter, Reconnaissance Mars United Arab Arab United Mission, Mars Emirates longest operational Mars mission. by the middle of next year. Sources: China National Space LAUNCH FAILURE SPACECRAFT / PARTIAL FAILURE SUCCESSFUL MISSION PHOBOS MISSION PENETRATOR TEXT BY ZHAO LEI, GRAPHICS BY LI XINLEI, LI XIAOTIAN Administration, NASA, Space.com & MUKESH MOHANAN / CHINA DAILY European Union/Russia European Gas Orbiter, Trace ExoMars