According to official data, as of May 5, 2022, the Tianwen-1 orbiter had been in orbit for 651 days, was 240 million kilometers away from Earth, and the orbiter and rover had collectively acquired approximately 940GB of raw scientific data, with all operations functioning normally. It is reported that the Zhurong Mars rover completed its scheduled 90 Martian days of patrol and exploration mission on August 15, 2021, and then continued to carry out extended patrol and exploration tasks. During its orbit around Mars, all seven payloads carried by Tianwen-1 were turned on, continuously conducting global remote sensing detection of Mars. The designed lifespan of the Zhurong Mars rover is only 90 Martian days, but it has now nearly quadrupled that lifespan. If there are no other issues, the Zhurong Mars rover can continue to work. It is worth noting that NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers traveled on the Martian surface for several years. Over the past 348 Martian days, the Zhurong Mars rover has traveled 1,921 meters southward. Together with the Tianwen-1 orbiter in Mars orbit, it has acquired 940GB of scientific data, including optical photos, data on the Martian surface magnetic field, and data on the Martian surface temperature, wind speed, and air pressure. The Zhurong Mars rover is going into "hibernation" Currently, the area where the Zhurong Mars rover is located has entered winter. Similar to Earth, the solar altitude angle has decreased and the duration of sunlight has shortened. Measurements show that the maximum temperature at local noon at the rover's location has dropped to -20°C, and the nighttime ambient temperature has fallen below -100°C. In addition, sand and dust weather has further reduced light intensity, affecting the power generation capacity of the rover's solar wing battery array. Recently, the engineering team has adjusted the angle of the solar wings to optimize light exposure and reduced the number and duration of daily work tasks to achieve energy balance. Mars' rotation period is close to that of Earth, with a Martian day being only about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day. At the same time, Mars' axial tilt is 25.19°, which is also very close to Earth's, so Mars, like Earth, has day-night cycles and seasonal changes. Mars' orbital period is approximately 687 days, meaning one Martian year is equivalent to 1.9 Earth years, which means each season on Mars lasts on average about twice as long as on Earth. When Zhurong first landed last year, Mars was near its aphelion, and the sun's direct rays were in the northern hemisphere. At that time, the northern hemisphere had just entered summer and the southern hemisphere winter. Now, nearly one Martian year after landing, Mars is near its perihelion, and the sun's direct rays are in the southern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere where Zhurong is located is entering winter, while the southern hemisphere is entering summer. In the next two months, the sun's direct rays will continue to move southward on Mars, reaching near the Tropic of Capricorn around mid-to-late July. By then, the northern hemisphere of Mars will enter the coldest period of the year. To safely survive extreme weather such as Martian cold winters and sandstorms, the Zhurong Mars rover is designed with autonomous hibernation and other working modes. When the energy level drops to a certain extent, it will automatically enter hibernation mode and resume normal working mode when environmental conditions gradually improve. High technology and Chinese wisdom in Zhurong China's first Mars exploration mission successfully achieved Mars landing on May 15, 2021. During the patrol and exploration period, the Zhurong Mars rover operated in an efficient exploration mode of "one cycle every seven days, one plan every day, and exploration every day." It is equipped with the following high-tech instruments and meters: The navigation terrain camera acquires terrain and landform data along the way, supports the rover's path planning and selection of exploration targets, and is used to conduct research on morphological features and geological structures; The subsurface exploration radar acquires data on the layered structure below the surface, which is used for shallow surface structure analysis and to search for possible groundwater ice; The meteorological measuring instrument acquires meteorological data such as air temperature, air pressure, wind speed, and wind direction, which is used to conduct research on atmospheric physical characteristics; The surface magnetic field detector acquires local magnetic field data, which, in conjunction with the orbiter's magnetometer, explores the evolution process of the Martian magnetic field; The surface composition detector and multispectral camera acquire spectral data of typical targets such as specific rocks and soil, which are used for analysis and research on element and mineral composition. Data acquired by seven scientific payloads, including the rover's navigation terrain camera, surface composition detector, subsurface exploration radar, meteorological measuring instrument, and the orbiter's high-resolution camera, subsurface exploration radar (very low-frequency mode), and ion and neutral particle analyzer, have completed relevant processing and quality verification and formed standard data products. The China Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Network has recently opened data applications to domestic scientific research teams, and will release scientific data on a monthly basis in the future. The Zhurong Mars rover has distinctive features and innovations in its appearance design, which are manifested in: Unique shape: China's Mars rover adopts a bionic "butterfly" design, with a golden "body" and dark blue "wings," having a more distinctive visual identity; Complex appearance: the upper part of the vehicle is equipped with deployable and stowable solar wings, body-mounted battery arrays, and heat collection windows; the lower part is equipped with wheels; the front is equipped with a mast; the rear is equipped with a directional antenna. It is compact when stowed and spacious when deployed; Cabin-type structure scheme: electronic equipment is arranged inside the cabin, and scientific detection and communication equipment are outside the cabin; A national flag is installed in a prominent position on the outer surface of the Mars rover. Overall, when Zhurong is in the stowed state, it is square at the bottom and round at the top. The circle represents connection to the sky, and the square represents connection to the earth, which is in line with the mission of the five payloads; the cabin is rectangular, and the top plate is nearly octagonal, embodying the Chinese people's good wish for "stability and security"; in the deployed state, it presents the shape of a "butterfly," which is derived from the inspiration of Chinese kites, and the "butterfly" kite is one of the most representative kite shapes. In addition, the most representative features are the embossed Chinese character "中" (zhong, meaning China) in the wheel pattern and the Chinese character "火" (huo, meaning fire) on the mast's pan-tilt. On the one hand, the clear "中" character left in the wheel marks after the wheels pass by not only permanently engraves the "中" character on the Martian surface but also allows the measurement of key parameters such as the rover's movement slip rate through the measurement of the distance and position between two adjacent "中" characters. On the other hand, the red "火" character carved (in nine-fold seal script) in the middle of the mast's pan-tilt not only adjusts the monotonous color of the mast's pan-tilt but also expresses the blessing and expectation for the rover to safely survive every Martian night. It is also an inheritance of China's ancient seal carving culture and an embodiment of "Chinese wisdom." The significance of Mars exploration Many people do not understand why we conduct Mars exploration. Mars is adjacent to Earth and has the most similar environment, making it the first choice for human beings to carry out deep space exploration beyond the Earth-Moon system. At the same time, the rich information from Mars exploration has also increased the upsurge of our search for life on Mars. If China can find evidence of the existence of life on Mars, it will be another major breakthrough in human history. According to official statements, Zhurong (the name of the first Mars rover) is the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology. The application of fire promoted the development of human civilization, dispelling darkness and bringing warmth. Fire will also illuminate the primeval chaos, guide humans to continuously explore the vast starry sky, and lead humans to pursue light. Zhurong controlling fire carries the expectations of the Chinese people for the stars and the sea, turning dreams into reality. We look forward to more good news from Zhurong! Sources: World Advanced Manufacturing Technology Forum, Xinhua News Agency, Interesting Exploration