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November 14th, 2019
Credit: CGTN
China has unveiled a simulated Mars landing facility, making use of a tower nearly 460 feet (140 meter) in height, a testing structure situated at Huailai County, Hebei Province, north China. The six pylon tower facility included a servo system and a Martian surface simulation area.
The highly touted test is prelude to China launching the country’s Mars probe in 2020, aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission, according to the China National Space Administration.
Credit: China Aerospace Technology Corporation
The experiment simulated the gravity of Mars, about one-third of the gravity on Earth, to test the design of the lander, according to China Central Television (CCTV).
Ambassadors and diplomats from 19 countries including France, Italy and Brazil, as well as representatives from the European Union, the African Union and the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization were invited to watch the experiment, said CCTV.
Credit: CGTN
Landing procedure
In a Xinhua news agency story, Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China’s first Mars exploration mission, said in order to simulate the landing procedure under the gravitational acceleration of Mars demanded construction of the facility.
A red platform in the middle of the pylons is fixed by 36 steel cables. Through precise control, Xinhua reports, the platform is able to simulate the Martian gravitational environment.
On the ground underneath the pylon tower, engineers created slopes and craters to mimic the environment of the Martian surface.
Credit: CCTV/Screengrab Inside Outer Space
Obstacle-avoiding mode
According to Xinhua, Thursday’s test verified the procedures including the lander’s separation with the main body of the spacecraft from a 70-meter altitude, and then hovering at 67 meters above the surface, searching for a safe landing spot, and then descending to 20 meters above the surface in an obstacle-avoiding mode.
Credit: CCTV/Screengrab Inside Outer Space
Zhang Kejian, administrator of the CNSA, said since the official kick-off in 2016, China’s Mars exploration program has progressed well. The hovering and obstacle avoidance test for the Mars lander is a crucial step of the project, Xinhua reports.
For a look at the test, go to this embedded CGTN video at:
Also, go to this CNSA video at:
Posted in Space News
