Friday, May 14, 2021

"China's 1st Mars rover 'Zhurong' lands on the Red Planet"

 From Space.com:

China just successfully landed its first rover on Mars, becoming only the second nation to do so. 

The Tianwen-1 mission, China's first interplanetary endeavor, reached the surface of the Red Planet Friday (May 14) at approximately 7:11 p.m. EDT (2311 GMT), though Chinese space officials have not yet confirmed the exact time and location of touchdown. Tianwen-1 (which translates to "Heavenly Questions") arrived in Mars' orbit in February after launching to the Red Planet on a Long March 5 rocket in July 2020. 

After circling the Red Planet for more than three months, the Tianwen-1 lander, with the rover attached, separated from the orbiter to begin its plunge toward the planet's surface. Once the lander and rover entered Mars' atmosphere, the spacecraft endured a similar procedure to the "seven minutes of terror" that NASA's Mars rovers have experienced when attempting soft landings on Mars....

....MUCH MORE

It appears to be drawing a nine-dash-line in ever-widening circles around the landing area. 

Sorry, that's a lie. I was thinking about China's rather ridiculous South China Sea claim and wires got crossed:

https://i.insider.com/5784b23088e4a74e018b7549

At least The Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam think it's ridiculous. 
China is dead serious.