“China’s Zhurong Rover Finds Evidence of Potential Water on Mars”

Jakarta –

China’s Zhurong rover robot has found evidence of the potential presence of water on Mars. Findings of this kind always bring hope for the possibility of humans being able to live and live on the Red Planet.

The journal Science Advances last week published a paper detailing the presence of crust, cracks, aggregates and bright polygonal ridges on the surface of the hydrated salt-rich dunes found by Zhurong.

Quoted from The Register, the most likely cause of the features is considered to be the brine product of melting ice or snow. The paper noted that Zhurong visited very low latitudes on Mars, where temperatures can reach -5°C.

These conditions allowed a very salty frost to form and then melt back into the dunes and cause the cracks and crust that the rovers observed.

This is still a long way from finding water on Mars, but the paper explains that this discovery sheds light on conditions more humid than modern Martian climates and provides important clues for future exploratory missions looking for signs of extant life, particularly in regions lower latitudes with relatively warmer and more acceptable surface temperatures.

However, this was good news amidst the worries for Zhurong’s fate. This rover robot is expected to never rise again after being silent for months due to its solar panels covered with Martian dust.

The Zhurong rover, which is part of Mars China’s Tianwen 1 mission, has been hibernating for the winter in the northern hemisphere since May 2022. This solar-powered robot was originally predicted to rise again in December 2022, after the lighting and temperature conditions on Mars improved, but this prediction turned out to be missed. .

Even NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter confirmed in February 2023 that the Chinese rover has remained stationary showing no signs of reviving.

Watch Video “The Fate of a Chinese Robot that Lost Contact for Almost 2 Years on Mars“

(rns/rns)