On May 14, 2021, Tianwen-1 Lander at Tianwen-1 in Tianwen – 1 lander falling in the sky in Utopia Planitia, with an aeroshell repair of atmospheric. After its parachutes fail and puts zero machines on a mixed landing site, the spacecraft safely on the red planet, where it deploys rovers, zhurong, to explore the surrounding foreign scene. This engineering feat is very important, verifying China as a major player on the planet exploration. With Touchdown-1 Touchdown, China has only been another country successfully with Mars outside the US further, the mission also prompts for a more ambitious and unbreaking project.
That project, Tianwen-3, is scheduled to launch by two high March 5 rockets from the Hars Orbiter’s Space Spaceport – 3. The mission is to collect the stone of the land, which can take place back to the ground, which can be changed in the land, which can be changed in the land Understanding life itself and our place in the cosmos.
“Tianwen-3 is the first mission that seeks to return the material from another planet to seek for signs of life,” says Li Yiliang at the University of Hong Kong and one of the writers of a paper published in Scripture Astrononon On June 19 that offers new mission details. . Chang’e 6.)
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Tianwen-3 will use the same method as Tianwen-1 to make the planet in an unavailable landing area. However, spacecraft engineering habits, however, demanding the site should be in a place of the midlatitudes in the northern hemisphere of the planet; It also needs a height of at least three miles below the higher elevation of the planet to more than the thin air of Mars can serve slowly Tianwen-3 descent. The owner will use proven tech from Chinese lunar exploration, drill as deep as two meters for suburface samples and scoors material from the surface. In addition, a helicopter striking following the lead of ENTABUIT flights to NASA-The selection of selected additional stone and strap samples of particle from within 100 meters on Tianwen-3 landing site.
Lander will operate for two months above, which is used for science players such as a metered radar and a raman spectrometer to collect large data in collected samples. When time comes, fire a strong booster to rocket to send a canister with at least 500 grams of walviter-respecraft material. Final return trip should bring in Tianwen-3 samples at the age of 2031.
Once in the world, the samples can be easily secured and carried on a customary laboratory cure symbol, where they are analyzing whilst keeping following “Planary Protection” policies Any potential a person of contaminated cross-contamination.
Although Tianwen-3’s goals are from investigating Mars in the study of its wise conditions, the scientists who work on the mission are more revealed about possible life. If, indeed, anything that is inhabited by red planet, then Tianwen-3 samples containing a variety of signs of presence in presence of presence.
A convincing biosigature can come to different types, says Li. For example, Tianwen-3 scientists will seek molecules directly by the Martian organisms to fulfill the biochemical molecules, that the molecules of the DNA on the ground depend on the genetic information. Another biosigature is biogenic isotope fractionation – the difference that living organisms change the natural ratios of stable isotopages to their ecosystem in their ecosystem in their ecosystem; In the world, for example, biochemical processes like photosynthesis are the most greater than isotopes in the isotes of isotopes. The third approach, Li Adds, is to find for fossil evidence, such as prints that can be left with microbes of mudstones and other grainent stones.
Astroxiological Assignivity in China for Martian explorations is “severe, ambitious purpose,” said Mahesh Anand, a professor of planet science at England’s Open University. “This is exactly what we recommend for many years: To search for any signs of biogenic activity or yet to determine having a living world in science.
China’s approach is simpler in many ways than US leaders led to return (MSR) mission, which is a joint project between NASA and Ecuite Space Agension (Ecuarian). MSR workhorse, maintenance of MSR development, is on Mars, where over four years collects selected selections in an ancient geological segments can preserve evidence of past life. On the contrary, Tianwen-3 sampling is limited to its immediate surroundings, which may be more likely to flow – because even a fun appealing to astrobiological, it is easier to join. And the spacecraft landing – the place where Tianwen-3 is likely to touch about 50 to 20 kilometers, which means the urge to indulge in the targets that cannot be trivial.
But, mostly because of its more complexity and costMsr was Under the threat of cancellation From Trump administration after years of delay and cost overruns. The Potential Elimination of the Project, However, one of NASA scientific blows, the funds in which Trump administration has suggested to be cut in about half.
“The reason why Nation has accompanied the first step so that you can have this chandate, which is noted in the Space Science Program, but in general that the robotic program has been uninstalled by the symbol of the symbol.”
The most basic plan led by China, with science trailing afterwards, can set limits to questions Tianwen-3 can answer realistic response. But this method, step-step method of critical ability is exactly what the road led to return to rocks to return to rocks from Mars. Meanwhile, the more detailed MSR flounder.
The dreier says this moment, where the US shows that cedar leadership in this area in China, there are implications for global exploration in space.
“The US has to lead and work with its allies to continue investing in this large, bold efforts to make discoveries historical,” as the dreier. If the White House has a passage, he added, then the samples of continuity can detect their return to the ground after a more complex, expensive and distant human spaceflight program SPACEX LED Astronaut lands on Mars. Which means, for now, China will get this shot at a primary first in space exploration.
“The way I see is that China begins to explore Mars,” Anand said. The more scientific scientific offers from a complex MSR style plan attracts, he says, but keeping the easiest with the consequences of something to be decades. “
US and Europa scientists see generations who take samples as a “holy grail” for Mars Exploration. For China, get Merian material suits the strategic item in the wider, solar solar system, the name translated into “heavenly questions.” More than Tianwen-3 and this launched asteroid-and-comet-Cound-Conde comed future missions in Tianwen, including Ice Hiants Uranus and Neptune, also set.
For Li, Tianwen-3 remained more compelling Tianwen project, partly because its path to Mars and returned very straight; Although the high, its goals can still be found. “It is important for people to understand its position in the solar system and universe,” he said, because it marks a deep milestone in human history. And, at the door of trying to bring first samples from Mars – with the possibility of finding the first evidence for foreign lives within them – China is unique to this milestone.