Latest news with #Tianwen-1
Scientific American
02-07-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
How China Could Win the Race to Return Rocks from Mars
On May 14, 2021, China's Tianwen-1 lander plummeted from space to streak through the skies above Mars's vast plain of Utopia Planitia, with an aeroshell protecting it from the heat and plasma of its high-speed atmospheric entry. After unfurling its parachutes and pulsing its engines to zero in on an amenable landing site, the spacecraft touched down safely onto the Red Planet, where it deployed a rover, Zhurong, to explore the surrounding alien landscape. This engineering feat was hugely significant, confirming China as a major player in planetary exploration. With Tianwen-1's touchdown, China became the only other nation ever to successfully land on Mars besides the U.S. Moreover, the mission also paved the way for a far more ambitious and unprecedented project. That project, Tianwen-3, is set to launch via two Long March 5 rockets from Wenchang spaceport on the Chinese island of Hainan in late 2028. One launch will carry Tianwen-3's lander, while the other will transport the mission's Mars orbiter, which is also an Earth-return vehicle. The mission aims to collect samples of Martian rock and soil for delivery back to Earth, where subsequent studies could, potentially, redefine our understanding of life itself and our place in the cosmos. 'Tianwen-3 will be the first mission aiming to bring back material from another planet to search for signs of life,' says Li Yiliang, a professor of astrobiology at the University of Hong Kong and one of the authors of a paper published in Nature Astronomy on June 19 that offers new details on the mission. (Tianwen-2, another Chinese sample return mission, launched in May 2025 but is bound for a near-Earth asteroid as well as a comet; China has also pulled off two successful lunar sample return missions, Chang'e 5 and Chang'e 6.) On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Tianwen-3 will use the same approach as Tianwen-1 to make planetfall in a yet-to-be-selected landing area. The vagaries of spacecraft engineering, however, demand the site should be somewhere in the midlatitudes of the planet's northern hemisphere; it also must be at an altitude of at least three kilometers below the planet's average elevation so that more of Mars's thin air can serve to slow Tianwen-3's descent. The lander will use proven tech from China's lunar explorations, drilling as deep as two meters for subsurface samples and scooping up material from the surface. Additionally, a helicopter drone—following the lead of NASA's pioneering Ingenuity flights —will collect selected additional rock and loose particle samples from within around 100 meters of Tianwen-3's landing site. The lander will operate for around two months on the surface, in which it will use scientific payloads such as a ground penetrating radar and a Raman spectrometer to gather more data on the broader geological context for collected samples. When the time comes, it will fire off a solid rocket booster to send a canister containing at least 500 grams of material into Mars orbit to dock with the waiting orbiter-returner spacecraft. The eventual return trip should bring Tianwen-3's samples home sometime in 2031. Once on Earth, the samples will be swiftly secured and transported to a custom-built Mars sample laboratory, where they'll be extensively analyzed while carefully following 'planetary protection' policies meant to prevent any potential otherworldly cross-contamination. Although Tianwen-3's objectives range from investigating Mars's interior to studying its wispy atmosphere, scientists working on the mission are most eager for what it might reveal about the planet's possible former or even extant life. If, in fact, anything ever dwelled on the Red Planet, then Tianwen-3's samples could conceivably contain various telltale signs of its presence—so-called biosignatures. A convincing biosignature could come in different types, Li says. For example, Tianwen-3's scientists will be seeking molecules directly produced by Martian organisms to fulfill known biochemical functions, akin to the DNA and RNA molecules that life-forms on Earth rely on to store and transmit genetic information. Another biosignature is biogenic isotope fractionation—the distinctive way that living organisms alter the natural ratios of stable isotopes in their ecosystems; on Earth, for instance, biochemical processes such as photosynthesis prefer the lighter carbon-12 rather than heavier carbon isotopes, leading to detectable shifts in the proportions of these isotopes with respect to the surrounding environment. A third approach, Li adds, would be to look for fossil evidence, such as the imprints that microbes may leave behind in mudstones and other fine-grained sedimentary rocks. China's astrobiological focus for its Martian explorations is 'a laudable, ambitious goal,' says Mahesh Anand, a professor of planetary science and exploration at the Open University in England. 'This is exactly what we have been recommending over the years: to look for any signs of biogenic activity or even just to understand that there was a habitable environment. The rest of the global planetary science community would love to get answers to these questions.' China's approach is simpler in many ways than the U.S.-led Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, which is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). MSR's workhorse, NASA's Perseverance rover, is already on Mars, where it has spent more than four years collecting dozens of carefully selected samples from Jezero Crater, a diverse site harboring an ancient river delta and other complex geological features that may preserve evidence of past life. In contrast, Tianwen-3's sampling will be limited to its immediate surroundings, which will probably be more drab—because although a boring, flat landscape may be of less astrobiological appeal, it is far easier to land on. And the spacecraft's landing ellipse—the area within which Tianwen-3 is most likely to touch down—spans some 50 by 20 kilometers, meaning a precision touchdown to visit any especially alluring targets is highly unlikely. But, largely because of its greater complexity and cost, MSR is under threat of cancellation from the Trump administration following years of delays and cost overruns. The project's potential elimination, however, would be only one of many grievous blows to NASA's science, the funding for which the Trump administration has proposed to cut by nearly half. 'The reason why NASA went with Perseverance as this first step was so that you would have this curated, intentionally selected and well-recorded process and contextual process of where these rocks came from,' says Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at the Planetary Society, a U.S. space science advocacy group. 'This isn't intended in any way to denigrate the achievements of the Chinese robotic program, but in general I think you can characterize a lot of [its] framing as symbol-driven and capability-focused over the direct science return.' China's more basic engineering-led plan, with the science trailing after, may put limits on the questions Tianwen-3 can realistically answer. But this methodical, step-by-step approach to progressively building and demonstrating critical capabilities is exactly what has now positioned China to take the lead in the race to return rocks from Mars. Meanwhile, the far more elaborate MSR has floundered. Dreier says that this moment, in which the U.S. appears to be ceding leadership in this area to China, will have implications for global space exploration. 'The U.S. needs to lead and work with its allies to continue to invest in these big, bold efforts to make potentially historic discoveries,' Dreier says. If the White House has its way, he adds, then Perseverance's samples might only find their way back to Earth after an even more complex, expensive and distant human spaceflight program led by SpaceX lands astronauts on Mars. Which means, for now, China will get its shot at a major first in space exploration. 'The way I look at it is that China is starting to explore Mars,' Anand says. The richer science on offer from a complex MSR-style plan is enticing, he says, but sticking to simplicity and clearly achievable near-term results 'probably has a higher chance of returning science than planning on something that might take decades.' U.S. and European scientists have for generations seen obtaining samples as a 'holy grail' for Mars exploration. For China, retrieving Martian material fits into the strategic framework of its broader, solar system-encompassing Tianwen program, the name of which translates to 'heavenly questions.' Beyond Tianwen-3 and its already-launched asteroid-and-comet-bound sibling Tianwen-2, there is also Tianwen-4, slated for liftoff around 2029, which will target the Jupiter system and its intriguing Galilean moon Callisto. Future missions in the Tianwen series, including to the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, are also under consideration. For Li, Tianwen-3 remains the Tianwen program's most compelling project, in part because its path to Mars and back is so straightforward; although lofty, its objectives still appear eminently within reach. 'It is important for humanity to understand its position in the solar system and the universe,' he says, because this would mark a profound milestone in human history. And, on the threshold of attempting to bring back the first samples from Mars—with the possibility of finding the first-ever evidence for alien life within them—China is now uniquely poised to achieve this milestone.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China launches Tianwen-2 space probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
China has launched a space probe that will travel to an asteroid near Mars to collect samples and find potential "groundbreaking" results. The Tianwen-2 probe launched Thursday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The target of the Tianwen-2 will be different from its predecessor, the Tianwen-1, which launched a year ago and landed on Mars. Tianwen-2 will be aiming for the asteroid 2016 HO3, which is also known as 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, to bring back samples. China's Secret Weapon In The Space Race Is Already Hurting Us The proposed 10-year plan would involve more than just this space mission as China continues to look to expand into space. Read On The Fox News App Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the Tianwen-1, told China Central Television he plans to implement the "Tianwen-3" Mars sampling return mission in 2028, while the "Tianwen-4" will head toward Jupiter. According to The Associated Press, the asteroids, chosen for their relatively stable orbits, will hopefully offer clues about the formation of Earth, such as the origins of water. Us Prepares To Deorbit International Space Station Amid China Competition Samples from 2016HO3 are due to be returned in about two years. Even if the CNSA is going to distribute these samples to international partners like they have on previous missions, NASA wouldn't be able to receive any samples. A law passed in 2011, known as the Wolf Amendment, restricts NASA from having any cooperation with the CNSA. China also operates the three-person Tiangong, or "Heavenly Palace," space station. This gives China a step in the right direction to become a major force in the exploration of space. Its permanent station was created after being excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns. The Associated Press contributed to this storyOriginal article source: China launches Tianwen-2 space probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
RTHK
21-05-2025
- Science
- RTHK
Beijing seeking Mars sample return proposals from SARs
Beijing seeking Mars sample return proposals from SARs A model of Tianwen-1's Mars rover is on display at the InnoTech Expo in 2022 in Hong Kong. File photo: NurPhoto/AFP China is seeking payload proposals for its Mars sample return mission and inviting overseas researchers to participate. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has called on overseas research institutions, including those in Hong Kong and Macau, to submit proposals for developing payloads for the Tianwen-3 mission. The mission, a significant part of China's planetary exploration programme, is scheduled for launch around 2028. The Tianwen-3 spacecraft comprises a lander, an ascent vehicle, a service module, an orbiter and a return module and is equipped with six scientific payloads. The six payloads, namely, the Raman fluorescence spectrometer, ultra-wideband exploration radar, mid-infrared superfine imaging spectrometer, Mars global multicolour camera, descent ENA aurora detector and high-precision vector magnetometer, are all open to overseas researchers, according to a notice released by the CNSA. The CNSA requires that all payload projects be led by a domestic institution, with no more than five entities involved in the joint development of a single payload. Last month, the administration announced that it would offer payload resources for international cooperation, with up to 15 kilogrammes available on the orbiter and five kilogrammes on the service module. The primary scientific objective of the mission is to search for signs of life on Mars. Other areas of exploration include the Martian climate and its evolution, the planet's geology and its internal processes. (Xinhua)
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Mars may once have had an ocean with sandy beaches, radar data suggests
Mars may once have been home to sandy beaches, new ground-penetrating radar data suggests. The radar data from China's Zhurong rover has revealed buried beneath the Martian surface evidence of what look like sandy beaches from the shoreline of a large ocean that may have existed long ago on the planet's northern plains. The findings are the latest evidence indicating the existence of this hypothesised ocean, called Deuteronilus, roughly 3.5 to 4bn years ago, a time when Mars – now cold and desolate – had a thicker atmosphere and warmer climate. Scientists say an ocean of liquid water on the Martian surface could have harboured living organisms, much like the primordial seas of early Earth. The rover, which operated from May 2021 to May 2022, travelled 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in an area that exhibits surface features suggestive of an ancient shoreline. Its ground-penetrating radar, which transmitted high-frequency radio waves into the ground that reflected off subsurface features, probed up to 80 metres beneath the surface. Between 10 and 35 metres underground, the radar images detected thick layers of material with properties similar to sand, all sloped in the same direction and at an angle similar to that of beaches on Earth just below the water where the sea meets the land. The researchers mapped these structures spanning three-quarters of a mile along the rover's path. 'The Martian surface has changed dramatically over 3.5bn years, but by using ground-penetrating radar we found direct evidence of coastal deposits that weren't visible from the surface,' said Hai Liu, a Guangzhou University planetary scientist and a member of the science team for China's Tianwen-1 mission that included the rover. On Earth, beach deposits of this size would have needed millions of years to form, the researchers said, suggesting that on Mars there was a large and long-lived body of water with wave action that distributed sediments carried into it by rivers flowing from nearby highlands. 'The beaches would have been formed by similar processes to those on Earth – waves and tides,' said Liu, one of the leaders of the study published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 'Such oceans would have profoundly influenced Mars' climate, shaped its landscape and created environments potentially suitable for life to emerge and thrive.' 'Shorelines are great locations to look for evidence of past life,' said Michael Manga, a planetary scientist and study co-author from the University of California, Berkeley. 'It's thought that the earliest life on Earth began at locations like this, near the interface of air and shallow water.' The rover explored the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the Martian northern hemisphere. The researchers ruled out other possible explanations for the structures Zhurong detected. 'A primary part of this work was testing these other hypotheses. Wind-blown dunes were considered, but there were a few issues. First, dunes tend to come in groups, and these groups produce characteristic patterns not present in these deposits,' said Benjamin Cardenas, a Penn State geoscientist and study co-author. 'We also considered ancient rivers, which exist in some nearby locations on Mars, but we rejected that hypothesis for similar reasons based on the patterns we saw in the deposits. And you don't typically get structures like this in lava flows, either. Beaches simply fit the observations the best.' Earth, Mars and the solar system's other planets were formed roughly 4.5bn years ago. That means Deuteronilus would have disappeared approximately 1bn years into Martian history, when the planet's climate changed dramatically. Scientists said some of the water may have been lost to space while large amounts may remain trapped underground. A study published last year based on seismic data obtained by Nasa's robotic InSight lander found that an immense reservoir of liquid water may reside deep under the Martian surface within fractured igneous rocks. For decades, scientists have used satellite images to trace Martian surface features resembling a shoreline. But any such evidence on the surface could have been erased or distorted by billions of years of wind erosion or other geological processes. That is not the case with the newly found structures, which were entombed over time under material deposited by dust storms, meteorite strikes or volcanism. 'These are beautifully preserved because they are still buried in the Martian subsurface,' Cardenas said.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Evidence of beaches from ancient Martian ocean detected by Chinese rover
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ground-penetrating radar data obtained by China's Zhurong rover has revealed buried beneath the Martian surface evidence of what look like sandy beaches from the shoreline of a large ocean that may have existed long ago on the northern plains of Mars. The findings are the latest evidence indicating the existence of this hypothesized ocean, called Deuteronilus, roughly 3.5 to 4 billion years ago, a time when Mars - now cold and desolate - possessed a thicker atmosphere and warmer climate. An ocean of liquid water on the Martian surface, according to scientists, potentially could have harbored living organisms, much like the primordial seas of early Earth. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The rover, which operated from May 2021 to May 2022, journeyed about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in an area that exhibits surface features suggestive of an ancient shoreline. Its ground-penetrating radar, which transmitted high-frequency radio waves into the ground that reflected off subsurface features, probed up to 80 meters (260 feet) beneath the surface. The radar images detected some 33-115 feet (10-35 meters) underground thick layers of material with properties similar to sand, all sloped in the same direction and at an angle similar to that of beaches on Earth just below the water where the sea meets the land. The researchers mapped these structures spanning three quarters of a mile (1.2 km) along the rover's path. "The Martian surface has changed dramatically over 3.5 billion years, but by using ground-penetrating radar we found direct evidence of coastal deposits that weren't visible from the surface," said Guangzhou University planetary scientist Hai Liu, a member of the science team for China's Tianwen-1 mission that included the rover. On Earth, beach deposits of this size would have needed millions of years to form, the researchers said, suggesting that on Mars there was a large and long-lived body of water with wave action that distributed sediments carried into it by rivers flowing from nearby highlands. "The beaches would have been formed by similar processes to those on Earth - waves and tides," said Liu, one of the leaders of the study published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Such oceans would have profoundly influenced Mars' climate, shaped its landscape and created environments potentially suitable for life to emerge and thrive." "Shorelines are great locations to look for evidence of past life," said planetary scientist and study co-author Michael Manga of the University of California, Berkeley. "It's thought that the earliest life on Earth began at locations like this, near the interface of air and shallow water." The rover explored in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the Martian northern hemisphere. The researchers ruled out other possible explanations for the structures Zhurong detected. "A primary part of this work was testing these other hypotheses. Wind-blown dunes were considered, but there were a few issues. First, dunes tend to come in groups, and these groups produce characteristic patterns not present in these deposits," Penn State geoscientist and study co-author Benjamin Cardenas said. "We also considered ancient rivers, which exist in some nearby locations on Mars, but we rejected that hypothesis for similar reasons based on the patterns we saw in the deposits. And you don't typically get structures like this in lava flows, either. Beaches simply fit the observations the best," Cardenas said. Earth, Mars and the solar system's other planets formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago. That means Deuteronilus would have disappeared approximately a billion years into Martian history, when the planet's climate changed dramatically. Scientists said some of the water may have been lost to space while large amounts may remain trapped underground. A study published last year based on seismic data obtained by NASA's robotic InSight lander found that an immense reservoir of liquid water may reside deep under the Martian surface within fractured igneous rocks. For decades, scientists have used satellite images to trace Martian surface features resembling a shoreline. But any such evidence on the surface could have been erased or distorted by billions of years of wind erosion or other geological processes. That is not the case with the newly found structures, which were entombed over time under material deposited by dust storms, meteorite strikes or volcanism. "These are beautifully preserved because they are still buried in the Martian subsurface," Cardenas said.
