China’s Zhurong rover has just sent back video of its descent, which includes footage of thesupersonic disk-gap-band parachute, as well as the sounds of Mars. The solar-powered 530-pound vehicle is currently surveying an area of the Red Planet known as Utopia Planitia, scouring it for signs of water or ice that could provide clues as to whether Mars ever sustained life. Zhurong is set to move and stop in slow intervals, with each interval estimated to be just 33-feet over the course of three days.
These clips were transmitted back to Earth through the Tianwen-1 satellite that is orbiting Mars as part of the mission. The release of this media marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, which is being celebrated on July 1st. Since touching down, Zhurong has been working on the Red Planet for 42 Martian days, traveling a total of 774 feet.
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In fact the sounds were made when the pinion of the Mars rover rotates on the rack, or say the clashing sounds between metals. The purpose we [installed] the recording device is to capture the sounds of wind on Mars during its windy weathers. We really want to hear how the winds sound like on a planet other than the Earth,” said Jia Yang, Tianwen-1 system deputy chief designer.
