China's Zhurong Mars rover takes a selfie


The picture was taken using a wireless camera

Wish you were here!
China's Zhurong rover has sent back a batch of new images from Mars - including a "selfie".

The robot, which landed in May, positioned a wireless camera on the ground and then rolled back a short distance to take the snap.

To Zhurong's right is the rocket-powered platform that brought the six-wheeled vehicle to a soft touchdown.

Both display prominent Chinese flags.


The landing platform used rockets to slow its descent

A second image, taken by the rover, shows the platform on its own.

Visible is the ramp down which Zhurong had to drive to get onto the surface, and the tracks it left in the dust as it turned around.

A third picture looks out to the horizon from the landing site. This region is known as Utopia Planitia, a vast terrain in Mars' northern hemisphere.

All the images were released by the Chinese space agency in a ceremony to celebrate the success of the rover mission.


Uptopia Planitia is an ancient impact basin on Mars

Scientists are hoping to get at least 90 Martian days of service out of Zhurong.

The robot looks a lot like the American space agency's (Nasa) Spirit and Opportunity vehicles from the 2000s.

It weighs some 240kg. A tall mast carries cameras to take pictures and aid navigation; five additional instruments will investigate the mineralogy of local rocks and the general nature of the environment, including the weather.


The mission's chief designer, Zhang Rongqiao, introduced the images

Like the current American rovers (Curiosity and Perseverance), Zhurong has a laser tool to zap rocks to assess their chemistry. It also has a radar to look for sub-surface water-ice - a capability it shares with Perseverance.

On Thursday, the US University of Arizona released a colour picture of Zhurong taken from orbit. The university's camera, called HiRise, is mounted on Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.


A Nasa satellite pictured the rover and landing platform from orbit

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Fascinating!

Hmm, curious.

Earth's major geological catacslysms seem to pulse every 27.5 million years.

It's OK, there is 20 million years until the next pulse.

www.sciencealert.com/our-planet-has-a-27-5-million-year-old-pulse-says-study-we-don-t-know-what-causes-it

Personally, I'm looking forward to trying some of the new breed of plant based 'fake meat'.
But.... "Lab analysis finds near-meat and meat are not nutritionally equivalent"

That's not necessarily a bad thing, though.


medicalxpress.com/news/2021-07-lab-analysis-near-meat-meat-nutritionally.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-nwletter

NASA solar sail mission to a Near Earth Asteroid.
It will take two years to get there and will do a slow fly past taking HiRez images.

www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-solar-sail-asteroid-mission-readies-for-launch-on-artemis-i?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=daily20210713-1

"Winner who paid $30m for space flight with Bezos won’t go due to ‘scheduling conflicts’"

Mind boggling, really.
Imagine having a diary mixup to stop you going on the first private space flight*.
Probably a hot date.

* Branson didn't go high enough to count.

amp.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jul/15/jeff-bezos-space-flight-guest-new-shepard

Internet shopkeeper blasts himself into space

phys.org/news/2021-07-world-richest-jeff-bezos-blasts.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter

Yes the closer we get to being able to implement a Golgafrinchamian-style 'evacuation' the better!

VFX Artist 'Unwraps' Classic Apollo Pic to Show Us What Buzz Aldrin Saw on The Moon


www.sciencealert.com/a-reflection-in-buzz-aldrin-s-space-suit-visor-gives-a-never-before-seen-view-of-the-moon?utm_source=ScienceAlert+-+Daily+Email+Updates&utm_campaign=c60e5c9d01-MAILCHIMP_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fe5632fb09-c60e5c9d01-366018145