China's Mars rover touches ground on red planet

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

BEIJING (AP) — China’s first Mars rover has driven down from its landing platform and is now roaming the surface of the red planet, China’s space administration said Saturday.

The solar-powered rover touched Martian soil at 10:40 a.m. Saturday Beijing time (0240 GMT), the China National Space Administration said.

China landed the spacecraft carrying the rover on Mars last Saturday, a technically challenging feat more difficult than a moon landing, in a first for the country. It is the second country to do so, after the United States.

Named after the Chinese god of fire, Zhurong, the rover has been running diagnostics tests for several days before it began its exploration Saturday. It is expected to be deployed for 90 days to search of evidence of life.



In this image released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Saturday, May 22, 2021, a landing platform and the surface of Mars are seen from a camera on the Chinese Mars rover Zhurong. China's first Mars rover has driven down from its landing platform and is now roaming the surface of the red planet, China's space administration said Saturday. (CNSA via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/china-technology-business-planets-mars-e6134a04b39c9a1409cfa6cc00deead0

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Last time something like this happened, it was Yuri Gagarin, and...

like Sputnik, it got us off our asses to get back in front of the space race.

What now?

[brush]

3. Whaddya mean? We've had rovers for years. They're just getting one.

What's next for them is altitude as we're already hoovering over their their first ever, Earthbound...er, ah, excuse me...Marsbound rover with our helicopter.

[TomWilm]

6. There is plenty of Space up there for all!

Even though Mars is way smaller than Earth, I do not foresee any traffic jams yet.

[brush]

2. Hey, it's getting to be a traffic jam up there. Who'll be the first to install a traffic light?

Congrats, China.

[unc70]

4. Looks like an awfully long ramp

They were probably prepared for the lander being at a less favorable angle, maybe caught on a rock or something.

[Bengus81]

7. Shot taken with a fish-eye lens makes that ramp look very long

Doubt that it really is........

[William Seger]

10. It's a very wide angle lens

Same depth perception effect as the "tiny Carters" photo. If you took a portrait with this "fisheye" lens, it would look like the person had an awfully long nose.

[3Hotdogs]

5. I bet our landers have stronger lasers to fuck up them alien landers if there is a turf war.

Our lasers were probably made by the same Israeli company that made the lasers that started the California forest fires.

[llashram]

8. and they are letting all on earth know

we are...

[LiberalLovinLug]

9. Don't worry, our Space Force will keep them in check

[alphafemale]

11. Should we send over a casserole or somethin?

This is such a new situation there are no established rules of etiquette.

[NBachers]

12. Congratulations, China- welcome to Mars. A stunning technological and scientific feat. Be proud

[Devil Child]

13. China's Nine-dash Line has just conveniently extended around Mars.

[keithbvadu2]

14. Now that there are multiple rovers up there,

Now that there are multiple rovers up there,

Do an international Triple A and go get the stuck rover Spirit out of its sand trap.

[pressbox69]

15. So

now that the Chinese have landed on Mars, how long will it take Fox News and the reicht wing smear machine to claim China is spreading the virus among the Martians?

[Gore1FL]

16. I hope it lives past the designed-for 90 days.

Ours seem to live longer than expected.