天问一号！火星，我们来了！

中国计划在今年7-8月之间，实施首次火星探测任务“天问一号”。

据中国科学院院士、航天科技集团科技委主任包为民介绍，火星探测器计划由长征五号运载火箭进行发射，将在明年的2月份经火星引力势场捕获到达火星。

火星与地球最近时距离大概有5500万公里，如何成功被火星的引力场捕获，是本次任务中的关键点之一。火星车将停留90个火星日，开展巡视探测、火星地貌特征研究等多项任务。

China plans to launch its first Mars exploration mission Tianwen-1 between July and August, Bao Weimin, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Science and Technology Commission at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, has told CCTV while sharing details about the mission.

According to the plan, the Mars probe will release a rover after a soft landing on the planet and the rover will stay on Mars for 90 Mars sols, or days, on a variety of missions, including reconnaissance and exploration of the Martian landscape.

"A day on Mars is about 24 hours and 37 minutes, the designed life of the rover is 90 Mars sols, more than three months on Earth," Bao explained in the interview. 

Due to the long distance, the exploration of the red planet requires precisely timing its proximity to Earth, which occurs only once every 26 months.

"The Mars probe with be within the gravitational field and potential of Mars next February, and will reach its destination after capture by the planet," Bao said. 

At its closest, Mars is about 55 million kilometers away from Earth. Ensuring the probe is captured successfully by Mars is the key to the mission. 

"The probe will pass by the Mars if the capture failed," Bao told CCTV, adding that the probe will enter the orbit of Mars once captured, and could then detect the planet after several modulations.

According to the academician, the landing process is about seven to eight minutes, and the speed of the probe needs to reduce from 4.8 kilometers per second to 0 kilometer per second.

(source:央视网)

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