Latest news with #Tianwen-1
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China launches Tianwen-2 space probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
China has launched a space probe that will travel to an asteroid near Mars to collect samples and find potential "groundbreaking" results. The Tianwen-2 probe launched Thursday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The target of the Tianwen-2 will be different from its predecessor, the Tianwen-1, which launched a year ago and landed on Mars. Tianwen-2 will be aiming for the asteroid 2016 HO3, which is also known as 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, to bring back samples. China's Secret Weapon In The Space Race Is Already Hurting Us The proposed 10-year plan would involve more than just this space mission as China continues to look to expand into space. Read On The Fox News App Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the Tianwen-1, told China Central Television he plans to implement the "Tianwen-3" Mars sampling return mission in 2028, while the "Tianwen-4" will head toward Jupiter. According to The Associated Press, the asteroids, chosen for their relatively stable orbits, will hopefully offer clues about the formation of Earth, such as the origins of water. Us Prepares To Deorbit International Space Station Amid China Competition Samples from 2016HO3 are due to be returned in about two years. Even if the CNSA is going to distribute these samples to international partners like they have on previous missions, NASA wouldn't be able to receive any samples. A law passed in 2011, known as the Wolf Amendment, restricts NASA from having any cooperation with the CNSA. China also operates the three-person Tiangong, or "Heavenly Palace," space station. This gives China a step in the right direction to become a major force in the exploration of space. Its permanent station was created after being excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns. The Associated Press contributed to this storyOriginal article source: China launches Tianwen-2 space probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
RTHK
21-05-2025
- Science
- RTHK
Beijing seeking Mars sample return proposals from SARs
Beijing seeking Mars sample return proposals from SARs A model of Tianwen-1's Mars rover is on display at the InnoTech Expo in 2022 in Hong Kong. File photo: NurPhoto/AFP China is seeking payload proposals for its Mars sample return mission and inviting overseas researchers to participate. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has called on overseas research institutions, including those in Hong Kong and Macau, to submit proposals for developing payloads for the Tianwen-3 mission. The mission, a significant part of China's planetary exploration programme, is scheduled for launch around 2028. The Tianwen-3 spacecraft comprises a lander, an ascent vehicle, a service module, an orbiter and a return module and is equipped with six scientific payloads. The six payloads, namely, the Raman fluorescence spectrometer, ultra-wideband exploration radar, mid-infrared superfine imaging spectrometer, Mars global multicolour camera, descent ENA aurora detector and high-precision vector magnetometer, are all open to overseas researchers, according to a notice released by the CNSA. The CNSA requires that all payload projects be led by a domestic institution, with no more than five entities involved in the joint development of a single payload. Last month, the administration announced that it would offer payload resources for international cooperation, with up to 15 kilogrammes available on the orbiter and five kilogrammes on the service module. The primary scientific objective of the mission is to search for signs of life on Mars. Other areas of exploration include the Martian climate and its evolution, the planet's geology and its internal processes. (Xinhua)
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Mars may once have had an ocean with sandy beaches, radar data suggests
Mars may once have been home to sandy beaches, new ground-penetrating radar data suggests. The radar data from China's Zhurong rover has revealed buried beneath the Martian surface evidence of what look like sandy beaches from the shoreline of a large ocean that may have existed long ago on the planet's northern plains. The findings are the latest evidence indicating the existence of this hypothesised ocean, called Deuteronilus, roughly 3.5 to 4bn years ago, a time when Mars – now cold and desolate – had a thicker atmosphere and warmer climate. Scientists say an ocean of liquid water on the Martian surface could have harboured living organisms, much like the primordial seas of early Earth. The rover, which operated from May 2021 to May 2022, travelled 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in an area that exhibits surface features suggestive of an ancient shoreline. Its ground-penetrating radar, which transmitted high-frequency radio waves into the ground that reflected off subsurface features, probed up to 80 metres beneath the surface. Between 10 and 35 metres underground, the radar images detected thick layers of material with properties similar to sand, all sloped in the same direction and at an angle similar to that of beaches on Earth just below the water where the sea meets the land. The researchers mapped these structures spanning three-quarters of a mile along the rover's path. 'The Martian surface has changed dramatically over 3.5bn years, but by using ground-penetrating radar we found direct evidence of coastal deposits that weren't visible from the surface,' said Hai Liu, a Guangzhou University planetary scientist and a member of the science team for China's Tianwen-1 mission that included the rover. On Earth, beach deposits of this size would have needed millions of years to form, the researchers said, suggesting that on Mars there was a large and long-lived body of water with wave action that distributed sediments carried into it by rivers flowing from nearby highlands. 'The beaches would have been formed by similar processes to those on Earth – waves and tides,' said Liu, one of the leaders of the study published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 'Such oceans would have profoundly influenced Mars' climate, shaped its landscape and created environments potentially suitable for life to emerge and thrive.' 'Shorelines are great locations to look for evidence of past life,' said Michael Manga, a planetary scientist and study co-author from the University of California, Berkeley. 'It's thought that the earliest life on Earth began at locations like this, near the interface of air and shallow water.' The rover explored the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the Martian northern hemisphere. The researchers ruled out other possible explanations for the structures Zhurong detected. 'A primary part of this work was testing these other hypotheses. Wind-blown dunes were considered, but there were a few issues. First, dunes tend to come in groups, and these groups produce characteristic patterns not present in these deposits,' said Benjamin Cardenas, a Penn State geoscientist and study co-author. 'We also considered ancient rivers, which exist in some nearby locations on Mars, but we rejected that hypothesis for similar reasons based on the patterns we saw in the deposits. And you don't typically get structures like this in lava flows, either. Beaches simply fit the observations the best.' Earth, Mars and the solar system's other planets were formed roughly 4.5bn years ago. That means Deuteronilus would have disappeared approximately 1bn years into Martian history, when the planet's climate changed dramatically. Scientists said some of the water may have been lost to space while large amounts may remain trapped underground. A study published last year based on seismic data obtained by Nasa's robotic InSight lander found that an immense reservoir of liquid water may reside deep under the Martian surface within fractured igneous rocks. For decades, scientists have used satellite images to trace Martian surface features resembling a shoreline. But any such evidence on the surface could have been erased or distorted by billions of years of wind erosion or other geological processes. That is not the case with the newly found structures, which were entombed over time under material deposited by dust storms, meteorite strikes or volcanism. 'These are beautifully preserved because they are still buried in the Martian subsurface,' Cardenas said.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Evidence of beaches from ancient Martian ocean detected by Chinese rover
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ground-penetrating radar data obtained by China's Zhurong rover has revealed buried beneath the Martian surface evidence of what look like sandy beaches from the shoreline of a large ocean that may have existed long ago on the northern plains of Mars. The findings are the latest evidence indicating the existence of this hypothesized ocean, called Deuteronilus, roughly 3.5 to 4 billion years ago, a time when Mars - now cold and desolate - possessed a thicker atmosphere and warmer climate. An ocean of liquid water on the Martian surface, according to scientists, potentially could have harbored living organisms, much like the primordial seas of early Earth. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The rover, which operated from May 2021 to May 2022, journeyed about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in an area that exhibits surface features suggestive of an ancient shoreline. Its ground-penetrating radar, which transmitted high-frequency radio waves into the ground that reflected off subsurface features, probed up to 80 meters (260 feet) beneath the surface. The radar images detected some 33-115 feet (10-35 meters) underground thick layers of material with properties similar to sand, all sloped in the same direction and at an angle similar to that of beaches on Earth just below the water where the sea meets the land. The researchers mapped these structures spanning three quarters of a mile (1.2 km) along the rover's path. "The Martian surface has changed dramatically over 3.5 billion years, but by using ground-penetrating radar we found direct evidence of coastal deposits that weren't visible from the surface," said Guangzhou University planetary scientist Hai Liu, a member of the science team for China's Tianwen-1 mission that included the rover. On Earth, beach deposits of this size would have needed millions of years to form, the researchers said, suggesting that on Mars there was a large and long-lived body of water with wave action that distributed sediments carried into it by rivers flowing from nearby highlands. "The beaches would have been formed by similar processes to those on Earth - waves and tides," said Liu, one of the leaders of the study published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Such oceans would have profoundly influenced Mars' climate, shaped its landscape and created environments potentially suitable for life to emerge and thrive." "Shorelines are great locations to look for evidence of past life," said planetary scientist and study co-author Michael Manga of the University of California, Berkeley. "It's thought that the earliest life on Earth began at locations like this, near the interface of air and shallow water." The rover explored in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the Martian northern hemisphere. The researchers ruled out other possible explanations for the structures Zhurong detected. "A primary part of this work was testing these other hypotheses. Wind-blown dunes were considered, but there were a few issues. First, dunes tend to come in groups, and these groups produce characteristic patterns not present in these deposits," Penn State geoscientist and study co-author Benjamin Cardenas said. "We also considered ancient rivers, which exist in some nearby locations on Mars, but we rejected that hypothesis for similar reasons based on the patterns we saw in the deposits. And you don't typically get structures like this in lava flows, either. Beaches simply fit the observations the best," Cardenas said. Earth, Mars and the solar system's other planets formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago. That means Deuteronilus would have disappeared approximately a billion years into Martian history, when the planet's climate changed dramatically. Scientists said some of the water may have been lost to space while large amounts may remain trapped underground. A study published last year based on seismic data obtained by NASA's robotic InSight lander found that an immense reservoir of liquid water may reside deep under the Martian surface within fractured igneous rocks. For decades, scientists have used satellite images to trace Martian surface features resembling a shoreline. But any such evidence on the surface could have been erased or distorted by billions of years of wind erosion or other geological processes. That is not the case with the newly found structures, which were entombed over time under material deposited by dust storms, meteorite strikes or volcanism. "These are beautifully preserved because they are still buried in the Martian subsurface," Cardenas said.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Evidence of beaches from ancient Martian ocean detected by Chinese rover
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ground-penetrating radar data obtained by China's Zhurong rover has revealed buried beneath the Martian surface evidence of what look like sandy beaches from the shoreline of a large ocean that may have existed long ago on the northern plains of Mars. The findings are the latest evidence indicating the existence of this hypothesized ocean, called Deuteronilus, roughly 3.5 to 4 billion years ago, a time when Mars - now cold and desolate - possessed a thicker atmosphere and warmer climate. An ocean of liquid water on the Martian surface, according to scientists, potentially could have harbored living organisms, much like the primordial seas of early Earth. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The rover, which operated from May 2021 to May 2022, journeyed about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in an area that exhibits surface features suggestive of an ancient shoreline. Its ground-penetrating radar, which transmitted high-frequency radio waves into the ground that reflected off subsurface features, probed up to 80 meters (260 feet) beneath the surface. The radar images detected some 33-115 feet (10-35 meters) underground thick layers of material with properties similar to sand, all sloped in the same direction and at an angle similar to that of beaches on Earth just below the water where the sea meets the land. The researchers mapped these structures spanning three quarters of a mile (1.2 km) along the rover's path. "The Martian surface has changed dramatically over 3.5 billion years, but by using ground-penetrating radar we found direct evidence of coastal deposits that weren't visible from the surface," said Guangzhou University planetary scientist Hai Liu, a member of the science team for China's Tianwen-1 mission that included the rover. On Earth, beach deposits of this size would have needed millions of years to form, the researchers said, suggesting that on Mars there was a large and long-lived body of water with wave action that distributed sediments carried into it by rivers flowing from nearby highlands. "The beaches would have been formed by similar processes to those on Earth - waves and tides," said Liu, one of the leaders of the study published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Such oceans would have profoundly influenced Mars' climate, shaped its landscape and created environments potentially suitable for life to emerge and thrive." "Shorelines are great locations to look for evidence of past life," said planetary scientist and study co-author Michael Manga of the University of California, Berkeley. "It's thought that the earliest life on Earth began at locations like this, near the interface of air and shallow water." The rover explored in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the Martian northern hemisphere. The researchers ruled out other possible explanations for the structures Zhurong detected. "A primary part of this work was testing these other hypotheses. Wind-blown dunes were considered, but there were a few issues. First, dunes tend to come in groups, and these groups produce characteristic patterns not present in these deposits," Penn State geoscientist and study co-author Benjamin Cardenas said. "We also considered ancient rivers, which exist in some nearby locations on Mars, but we rejected that hypothesis for similar reasons based on the patterns we saw in the deposits. And you don't typically get structures like this in lava flows, either. Beaches simply fit the observations the best," Cardenas said. Earth, Mars and the solar system's other planets formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago. That means Deuteronilus would have disappeared approximately a billion years into Martian history, when the planet's climate changed dramatically. Scientists said some of the water may have been lost to space while large amounts may remain trapped underground. A study published last year based on seismic data obtained by NASA's robotic InSight lander found that an immense reservoir of liquid water may reside deep under the Martian surface within fractured igneous rocks. For decades, scientists have used satellite images to trace Martian surface features resembling a shoreline. But any such evidence on the surface could have been erased or distorted by billions of years of wind erosion or other geological processes. That is not the case with the newly found structures, which were entombed over time under material deposited by dust storms, meteorite strikes or volcanism. "These are beautifully preserved because they are still buried in the Martian subsurface," Cardenas said.
