Science News Desk – Recently, NASA claimed that China’s Jurong rover has not even shaken for the last eight months. This hurt China’s built-up credibility, which it had built through a single mission in which it sent an orbiter, a lander and a rover to Mars in one go. But a new research paper has revealed that data from China’s Jurong rover has yielded information about the layers beneath the surface of Mars. Jurong’s ground viewing radar equipment has shown that craters are also present under the surface of this Mars. This has revealed many things about the surface of Mars, in which the special thing is that the surface is not shallow like the Earth’s Moon.
Difference Between Moon and Mars
The upper surface of the Moon has thin layers up to 10 meters long, indicating the impact of micro meteorites. A research paper published last month in Geology of the Geological Society of America details the new discovery, which suggests that the gap between the Moon and Mars is due to the thin atmosphere and absence of an atmosphere on Mars. On the moon
reason for difference
It has been told in this research paper that the thin atmosphere of Mars had worked to provide protection from micrometeorites and due to the same environment, surface weathering also happened. Yi Xu, the lead author of the study, said that the researchers found several mounds at the landing site, so it is possible that the crater was soon buried under sand dunes. Due to which the process of weathering of space does not work.
where is rover
Xu told that for this reason his team has seen the full clear shape of the walls of the pits here. Jurong’s landing site, Utopia Planitia, is likely an ancient ocean site. One of the purposes of the rover’s radar was to pick up on signs of water or ice beneath the surface.
how does radar work
The specialty of this radar is that it sends electromagnetic waves below the ground, which collide with the surface and come back, giving information below the surface. It used two different frequency ranges for the study, from which a very fine depth of 4.5 meters could be obtained.
expect more information
The radar data showed that there was no sign of water, but the second radar frequency was able to reach 80% of the surface depth. Researchers hope that this information will provide new information about the surface of Mars and its geological evolution, as well as its climatic conditions and the presence of water or ice.
travels about two kilometers a year
Jurong was launched with the orbiter as part of the Tianwen 1 mission in July 2020 and landed on the surface of Mars in May 2021. Since then, the rover has traveled 1921 meters over a period of one year towards the south of the landing site. , On the other hand, NASA’s Perseverance Rover is also studying Jajiro Crater on Mars through radar equipment under the ground.
The Jurong rover recently made headlines when NASA released pictures of its Mars orbiter, which it claimed was lying idle for the last 8 months, while it was launched two months earlier this year. it was done. It was supposed to go as it was to remain inactive till December 2022 due to Martian winter season from May 2022, after which it was to become active when it gets better sunlight. But Chinese space officials have not commented on it.