Category Archives: Space Exploration

The second annual Ohio Space Forum was held virtually on Tuesday this past week. Representatives from Ohios legislative, business, military and academic sectors joined to discuss the states future role in space research and exploration.

Ohio State Representative Adam Holmes is the Chairman of the Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Technology Committee. He says Ohio has been leveraging its assets at all levels to become a leader in space tech.

The federal contingent thats been involved in this along with the governors office, along with JobsOhio, along with the state assembly of representatives," said Holmes, "Thats a unity of effort that youre not gonna find anywhere else in the United States.

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown said at the forum that Ohio is an ideal location for the federal government to invest in aerospace research and development.

That research is critical infrastructure. It allows us to develop the technologies to position us to lead in the industries of the future, said Senator Brown.

The forum participants expect the importance of Ohios role in space to continue growing.

Next February, Dayton entrepreneur Larry Connor will pilot a shuttle to the International Space Station. It will be the first fully private mission to the station.

Connor and three others will spend eight days at the station as part of the company Axiom Spaces first mission. Theyll spend time at the station working on medical research.

At the Ohio Space Forum this week, Connor said he believes the future of space exploration depends heavily on private investment.

"NASAs done a phenomenal job but it takes private companies like SpaceX and private individuals like myself to really propel this next great frontier forward, said Connor.

Last month, Connor performed another adventurous feat as he took a submarine to three of the deepest parts of the ocean. Hell become only the second Ohioan to travel to both the bottom of the ocean and into space.

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The Future Of Space Exploration: Ohio's Role In New Space Research - WYSO

Space exploration has opened a fascinating window on our region of the universe. Images from faraway missions show us that the bright dots wandering in the sky are actually complex and individual worlds, beautiful to the eye but often with environments of stark and dangerous extremes. Through the years, spacecraft cameras and instruments of increasing capability have revealed landscapes of stunning diversity. Within our solar system alone, we find colossal giants, rocky worlds with deep canyons and tall mountains, small icy globes at the far edge, and a great ball of gas with spectacular, intricate rings. Farther afield, planets called Super Earths and Hot Jupiters orbit stars other than our own.

Weve also learned that the varied planets and moons are not dull, dead worlds. Written in these landscapes are stories, if we know how to read them, of times and events otherwise hidden. And they are dramatic stories. There are tales of fire and ice, of rivers lost, and of relentless, pulverizing impacts. We see spewing geysers, volcanic plumes, sand moving to form beautiful patterns, and scarps that record a shrinking crust. Studying these landscapes can be like looking back through time. Earths moon exhibits an ancient surface unaltered by wind or rain or plate tectonics. It preserves the story of periods of heavy meteoroid bombardment that affected not only the moon but Earth and other bodies as well. On Earth, this record is erased, but the moon can teach us about the early history of our planet.

As part of the National Air and Space Museums major project to transform all its exhibitions, the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery, planned to open next year, will showcase the stories of these beautiful worlds and how they have been explored. The previous Planets gallery, long a visitor favorite, gave a planet-by-planet presentation, but the new gallery will be reorganized to reflect the more recent understanding that our solar system contains three groups of worlds: giant planets, terrestrial planets, and small icy/rocky bodies. Visitors entering the gallery will travel a perhaps unexpected path. Unlike most presentations on planets, this new exhibition creates a journey that moves from the outside in, starting beyond our solar system and taking visitors from the dark and icy outer belts where fascinating Pluto resides to the stunning giant worlds to the inner rocky worlds nearer to the sun. Along the way are images of these worlds and the features and processes that form them. The different exhibit units are arranged around a central immersive environment, called Walking on Other Worlds, where visitors will be surrounded with landscapes from worlds spacecraft or humans have landed on. These visualizations are based on real data. Visitors will hear, for example, the actual sounds of wind on Mars recorded by the Perseverance Rover.

Across from Walking on Other Worlds is a display of three generations of Mars rovers. The tiny Marie Curie is the flight spare for Sojourner, the first rover on Mars. Operating for 83 days in 1997, Sojourner had three cameras, a spectrometer to measure the composition of rocks and soil, and solar panels and a battery for power. The next rover represents Spirit and Opportunity, the twin robot geologists that landed on Mars in 2004. The twins were actually triplets since the rover on display is an engineering version used on Earth for testing and practicing procedures to address circumstances encountered on Mars. Dwarfing them both is a full-scale model of the rover Curiosity. This rover, which has operated for more than eight years, carries 17 cameras as well as spectrometers and environmental sensors. Sharp-eyed visitors will note that holes are regularly spaced in its aluminum wheels. As the rover traverses Mars, its tracks contain the imprint of these holes which help engineers measure the distance it has traveled. But the holes also spell JPL in Morse code, a clever signature from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which built and manages the rover.

Imaging technology, which is so vital to understanding worlds scientists cant visit in person, has also grown in complexity and precision through the years of space exploration. Today we take for granted the sharp high-resolution digital images of Earth and space. Even our phones can take great instant images. But it wasnt so easy in earlier days of spacecraft exploration. The Mariner 9 photomosaic globe, constructed in the early 1970s, allowed scientists to see the physical relationship of Mars features with a global perspective. More than 1,500 photographs were printed, accurately located, trimmed and feathered by hand, and glued to the globe. Today powerful cameras and computers do that work to show the intricate local and global details of the planets and their moons.

As one of the curators who helped plan this gallery, I hope these images will inspire an appreciation of the amazing beauty of these exotic worlds and the wealth of what we can learn from them as we study the processes that shape them and discover how they have evolved. Comparing the environments and features of the planets and other bodies through time, we can work to understand their differences and similarities, taking the knowledge gained from faraway places and bringing it home.

Priscilla Strain is a program manager in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, the science research group at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum. She is currently the lead curator for the new Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery.

The Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery was named in honor of a generous commitment from Ken Griffin.

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A New Museum Gallery Takes You on a Tour of the Solar System - Air & Space Magazine

A group of local students got a chance to chat with a pair of special friends floating 250 miles above their heads on Tuesday.

In an online event organized by U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, students from Chester and Berks counties were able to have their questions answered by two astronauts on the International Space Station.

The students were eager to know what astronauts eat in space, whether they get homesick, how many years they need to train for space travel, what kind of research they are performing and much more.

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet seemed delighted to provide answers, happily explaining all the details about living in space.

Houlahan said she organized the event with the astronauts Tuesday because she has always been fascinated with the space program.

"When I was a little girl my role model was a woman named Sally Ride,the first American woman to go to space," the congresswoman shared. "It's so important to have people who inspire us and who we can look up to literally."

Houlahan said nearly 300 students from 20 schools submitted questions for the astronauts. Here are a few that were fielded by the astronauts.

Violet from Immaculate Conception Academy in Union Township

Pesquet said life on the space station is actually pretty similar to life on Earth.

He said the technological advances that have been made to the station over the past several decades provides the crew with many of the comforts of home.

"I think the most difficult thing today is not the physical hardship but being away from your loved ones for such an extended period of time," he said. "We spend six months at a time without being able to see our friends and families.

"But, then again, it's pretty cool to live in space."

Clarissa from Octorara Elementary School in Atglen

McArthur said one of the coolest aspects of being an astronaut is that there is no such thing as a typical day.

"Every day you're doing something different," she said. "You could be doing almost anything. Some days you might be fixing the toilet and doing some biology experiments and the other days you might be finding some lost hardware or preparing a spacesuit for space walk."

Stephen from Barkley Elementary School in Phoenixville

Pesquet said it is important to do research in space because there are things that scientists can observe in space that they cannot observe on the ground.

"There are some phenomena that are masked by gravity on the planet and when you come here to the space station you are free from these affects," he said, noting that scientists have studied things like how metals form alloys.

Michael from Delaware County Community College in Media

McArthur said researchers have been working on several experiments that have the potential to impact future space exploration as well as provide benefits for those back on Earth.

"One of the things we have working on a lot lately is water reclamation," she said. "While the technology is not in its infancy, we are making sure that these systems work, are efficient and are easy to establish."

Josette fromImmaculate Conception Academy in Union Township

Pesquet said the health of astronauts in space are affected in many different ways, explaining that he is exposed to more radiation from the sun, that there is a fluid shift inside his body and he will experience muscle and bone loss.

"We're not made to live in space," he said. "But the good thing is, thanks to the space station, we have been studying this for a long time now and have a good understanding of what it takes to have humans live safely in space for an extended period of time."

Kiran from the Montgomery School in Chester Springs

McArthur said she initially really liked the possibility of being a part of a mission that has this overwhelming goal of exploring the universe.

"And as a I learned more about being an astronaut I realized that you don't have to be good at one thing, you have to figure out how to do a bunch of different things and the challenges can be different every single day," she said. "That was appealing because I thought it would be interesting to learn so many different things and never know what was going to happen next."

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Students from Berks-area schools chat with astronauts aboard International Space Station - Boyertown Berk Montgomery Newspapers

Last month, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) chose Elon Musks space exploration company SpaceX for a $2.9 billion contract to help develop the agencys moon landing project, Artemis. Now, Congress is debating an amendment to a science and research funding bill that would give $10 billion for the same project to Jeff Bezoss space company, Blue Origin, which lost the original contract. The company has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lobbying Congress.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) proposed the amendment to the Endless Frontier Act that would essentially directly award billions to Blue Origin. The company is based in Cantwells home state and, The Intercept reports, spent $625,000 lobbying the Senate in the first three months of this year alone. At least $50,000 of that has gone directly toward lobbying efforts for the Artemis program.

But theres a chance that the amendment may not end up in the final bill. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has offered a counterproposal without the $10 billion handout to Blue Origin. The purpose of the amendment, as he wrote in the amendment itself, is To eliminate the multi-billion dollar Bezos Bailout.

Sanders voiced concerns over the privatization of space exploration and giving billions to Bezoss company on the Senate floor on Tuesday.

I worry very much that what we are seeing now is two of the wealthiest people in this country, Mr. Elon Musk and Mr. Bezos, deciding that they are going to take control over our space industry, he said. I have got a real problem with the authorization of $10 billion going to somebody who, among other things, is the wealthiest person in this country.

Sanders continued that criticism on Twitter on Wednesday morning. Jeff Bezos is the richest guy on the planet. Hes gotten $86 billion richer since the start of the COVID pandemic, he wrote. Does he really need $10 billion from Congress for space exploration?

Indeed, space exploration has gotten increasingly privatized over the past decade or so, and former President Donald Trump even slashed NASAs budget while voicing support for private commercial moon landers during his presidency.

Cantwell has argued that her amendment is necessary for redundancy, saying Trump had requested $3.4 billion for this, and then Congress never did anything about it.

She isnt wrong about this NASA was originally supposed to choose two companies so there could be a backup option if SpaceX couldnt deliver. The agency only chose one company after Congress failed to provide enough funding for the project.

However, that still doesnt explain why the award, given to the company that wasnt chosen for the project, would be so much larger than the original contract.

Cantwells amendment, meanwhile, could actually slow down the moon landing project, writes Ars Technica.

In reality, Cantwells amendment is probably more accurately interpreted as an effort to support Blue Origin, which is based in the state she represents, wrote Ars Technicas Eric Berger. Were the Cantwell amendment to be signed into law, NASA would have to reopen the competition, thus delaying work on the agencys return to the Moon and putting an already difficult target of 2024 into further jeopardy.

Blue Origin and Dynetics, the other company in competition for the contract, last month filed complaints with the Government Accountability Office over NASAs decision. Cantwells amendment would essentially bypass those complaints, which are still open.

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Sanders Says No Way to $10 Billion Taxpayer Handout to Bezos' Space Company - Truthout

Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station (ISS), said in an interviewlanding a rover on Mars is "almost indescribably difficult,"but humans are going to get there eventually to find out whether we're alone in the universe. He also addressed the curiosity over the recent sightings of UFOs, saying he has seen countless things in the sky that he doesn't understand, but concluding thatsomething we don't understand is intelligent life from another solar system is the height of foolishness. Hadfield became one of the most-loved astronauts in the history of space exploration after recording David Bowie's hit Space Oddityaboard the ISS in 2013.

The former pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force and U.S. Navy discussed the importance of Mars exploration in a recent podcast. He also said that why people should not confuse UFO sightings as evidence of extra-terrestrial life.

Why are we trying to land on Mars? Well, I think the fundamental question is that Mars was a lot like Earth four billion years ago when life first formed on Earth. So, if it happened here, did it happen there? he said in the podcast on CBC.

Asked if he would ever consider a "one-way trip" to Mars, he said he has taken great risks in life for space exploration and he would be interested in it but he would need clarity on the ship, his team, and the objective of the mission. "We're going to get there eventually, and I'd love to be part of the team that makes that happen," he added.

One of the listeners asked him if he was following the growing discussion on social and mainstream media about sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). To this, Hadfield said he has seen countless things in the sky that I don't understand", but to see something and immediately conclude it's intelligent life from another solar system is the height of foolishness and lack of logic.

He, however, added that the existence of extra-terrestrial life is worth thinking about, as the discussion over UFO sightings is intriguing and right on the brink between reality and science fiction and fantasy.

In 2013, footage of Hadfield floating inside the space station with a guitar and singing Ground Control To Major Tom had become a defining image of how astronauts live and spend time in isolation.

Several countries have launched unmanned missions to Mars, including the recent Chinese probe which landed the Zhurong rover on the planet. All these missions are conducting research and taking samples. Hadfield said if any of them finds one fossil then we would know humans are not alone in the universe.

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Astronaut Chris Hadfield Calls Talk of UFOs 'the Height of Foolishness' in Interview - Gadgets 360

Mission Control's Contributions to the Emirates Lunar Mission Launching to the Moon on a SpaceX Rocket in 2022

OTTAWA, Ontario (PRWEB) May 26, 2021

Mission Control Space Services Inc. (Mission Control) is pleased to announce that it is poised to open an exciting new chapter in Canadian space exploration thanks to a $3.04M contribution from the Canadian Space Agencys Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program. These funds will enable Mission Control to demonstrate artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies on a new lunar mission, positioning the company as a leader in computer applications for space exploration.

With the support of the Canadian Space Agency, Canadian scientists and engineers will be able to participate in near-term missions to the lunar surface, said Ewan Reid, president and CEO of Mission Control.

Along with its subcontractor, Xiphos Systems Corporation, Mission Control will demonstrate a cutting-edge AI-integrated flight computer on the Emirates Lunar Mission (ELM), an international micro-rover mission led by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in the United Arab Emirates, launched on a SpaceX rocket and delivered to the Moon by ispace of Japan in 2022. As a first for space exploration beyond low Earth orbit, this navigation computer installed as a payload on the ispace lander will host an AI application that harnesses deep-learning algorithms in an edge-computing architecture to recognize geological features in visual images as the rover drives around the lunar surface.

The outputs from the AI image classifier will be transmitted back to Earth for analysis by Mission Control and its academic partners at Concordia University, University of Winnipeg, Western University and Carleton University. These investigations will make use of the cloud-based Mission Control Software platform to enable the Canadian team to easily and securely access and visualize mission data.

This research will explore techniques for more advanced rover navigation, explained Dr. Melissa Battler, Mission Controls chief science officer. By demonstrating this new technology on the Moon, we will not only unlock potential autonomous decision-making capabilities for future rovers, but better support planetary-science missions going forward.

Working alongside outreach partners at SmartICE, Rocket Women, and Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, Mission Control is also planning to engage students, underserved communities, and the wider public in what promises to be one of the first demonstrations of Canadian computing technologies on a lunar mission. By creating iconic moments for Canadian space exploration, the company hopes to inspire the next generation to reach for the stars.

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Award from Canadian Space Agency allows Mission Control to bring Canadian innovation to the Moon - PR Web

Fisher Space Pen and its founder, Paul Fisher, will be inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame for their innovations developed for space that now improve life on Earth.

They will be inducted during the 36th Space Symposium, to be held Aug. 23-26 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The symposium is sponsored by the Space Foundation, a nonprofit advocate organization founded in 1983 for the global space ecosystem.

The Boulder City-based company is being recognized for its pens, which are used by U.S. astronauts while in space. The pen was created by the late Paul Fisher in the mid-1960s to address the unique atmospheric challenges of microgravity.

Since making their debut aboard the Apollo 7 mission in October 1968, Fisher Space Pens have flown on every crewed spaceflight. They are now sold worldwide.

Also to be inducted at the ceremony is Emisshield Inc., which makes heat-protective coatings used in commercial and industrial settings.

This years inductees truly represent the spirit of the Space Technology Hall of Fame. Both produce products that had their beginnings in space exploration and that are now found in homes, businesses and communities around the world, said Tom Zelibor, CEO of the Space Foundation. Congratulations to these visionary leaders who had the foresight to develop and market these tools so we can utilize them here on Earth.

The Space Technology Hall of Fame was founded in 1988 and recognizes life-changing technologies emerging from space programs while honoring the scientists, engineers and innovators responsible. To date, more than 80 technologies have been recognized.

Papillon wins safety awards from FAA

Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, which operates out of Boulder City Municipal Airport, recently received two awards from the Federal Aviation Administration for excellence in maintenance and compliance.

Founded in 1991, the FAA Diamond Awards are considered the highest industry honors within the William OBrien Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards program. The first Diamond Award of Excellence was for the 135 Air Carrier and Operation Certificate, which was earned by ensuring 100 percent of the companys certificated aviation technicians receive William OBrien Awards for various areas and disciplines.

The second award was given for Papillons 145 Certified Repair Station, which is a maintenance facility that has an FAA certificate issued under federal regulation and is engaged in the maintenance, preventive maintenance, inspection and alteration of aircraft and aircraft products.

Additionally, Papillon achieved the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations stage three designation. Granted by the International Business Aviation Council, this accolade recognizes Papillon for achieving the highest level of compliance within the councils standard of best practices for aviation operations. The designation came after a rigorous, multiyear audit of the companys safety practices, safety reporting, dedication to ongoing improvement and overall safety-oriented company culture. Out of more than 6,000 eligible companies worldwide, only 280 aviation companies have achieved the stage three designation.

It is an honor to continue to receive these industry awards and recognition. We have an incredible team who deserves to be recognized for their extraordinary dedication to our customers safety while consistently exceeding industry standards for maintenance and compliance, said Brenda Halvorson, Papillons chief executive officer.

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We want news, tips, anything you want to tell us about Boulder City business, as long as its true and as long as its not pure publicity. Send it all to news@bouldercityreview.com.

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Business Beat: Fisher Space Pen, founder named to hall of fame - Bouldercityreview

Landing a rover on Mars is "almost indescribably difficult," according to retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.

Despite that reality, scientists have landed a handful of them on the Red Planet.

China's space agency is the latest to do so, dropping the Zhurong rover on Mars earlier this month. On Saturday, it took its first drive on the planet's surface.

Hadfield, who was the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station, saidconducting research on Mars is crucial to finding out whether we're alone in the universe.

"Why are we trying to land on Mars? Well, I think the fundamental question is that Mars was a lot like Earth four billion years ago when life first formed on Earth," he told Cross Country Checkup guest host Jason D'Souza on Sunday.

"So if it happened here, did it happen there? And it will be evident somewhere in the geologic record."

The rovers currently traversing Mars are conducting research and taking samples from the ground. If a rover finds one fossil, Hadfield said, "we will know we're not alone in the universe."

Hadfield joined Checkup as part of the program's regular Ask Me Anything series, and answered questions from listeners about Mars, unidentified flying objects and our responsibility as humans in space.

With roversand possibly one day humans landing on Mars, Ed Camelot in Edmonton asked "what's in it" for the Red Planet?

If there is life on Mars, whether fossilized or primitive, Hadfield saidit's important to consider what it would mean for us on Earth, and what responsibilities we have.

The 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty offers "fundamental building blocks of the legal system" for space-faring nations, he said.

That treaty is a basic framework on international space law, according to the UN, and outlines key principles, including that space exploration should be in the interest of all countries, and that states should avoid harmful contamination of outer space and celestial bodies.

"We're very careful with everything we've sent so far to Mars to make it to the absolute best of our ability to make it sterile so that it won't inadvertently bring life to Mars or react if there is some sort of primitive life on Mars," Hadfield said.

"If there was intelligent life or advanced life, we would treat it even more thoughtfully and more differently."

Asked whether he would ever consider a "one-way trip" to Mars, Hadfield said he has spent his entire life taking great risks for space exploration but astronauts don't make big journeys without proper preparation.

With that in mind, he told Checkup he would happily help with development of technology to enable Earthlings to live somewhere hostile, like Mars or the moon.

"I'm interested in it, but my question would be what ship and who with and what is the purpose?" Hadfield said.

"We're going to get there eventually, and I'd love to be part of the team that makes that happen."

Calling from Kamloops, B.C., Byron McDonald asked whether Hadfield is following the growing discussion about unidentified flying objects.

Often a taboo subject, the presence of UFOs has become a hot topic not only on social media, but in mainstream media and even the corridors of power in Washington, D.C.

The news magazine 60 Minutes recently aired a report about UFO sightings in U.S. airspace. Next month, a report on what the U.S. government calls unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, will be delivered to Congress by U.S. intelligence agencies.

"Obviously, I've seen countless things in the sky that I don't understand," said Hadfield, a former pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force and U.S. navy.

"But to see something in the sky that you don't understand and then to immediately conclude that it's intelligent life from another solar system is the height of foolishness and lack of logic."

Hadfield acknowledgedthe existence of extraterrestrial life is worth thinking about, and that it's likely that there is life in other parts of the universe.

"But definitively up to this point, we have found no evidence of life anywhere except Earth, and we're looking," he said.

Still, Hadfield saidit's not surprising that the conversation is gaining steam.

"It's intriguing and it's right on the brink between reality and science fiction and fantasy. And so it's all really fun to think about."

Written by Jason Vermes. Ask Me Anything with Chris Hadfield produced by Steve Howard.

Hear the fullconversation on CBC Listen,our free audio streaming service.

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Chris Hadfield on exploring Mars and the growing conversation about UFOs - CBC.ca

Federalist Publisher Ben Domenech sat down with renowned theoretical physicist and Harvard Professor Avi Loeb, on the latest episode of Fox News The Ben Domenech Podcast to discuss the importance of scientific inquiry beyond conventional academic consensus.

Institutions, Loeb said, should be taking risks to fund risky research as opposed to merely projects that can promise what they can deliver.

These are the most boring projects, Loeb said.If you can tell in advance what you can discover, then its not a major advance.

Loeb is the author of Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, and said outer space ought to reclaim its fundamental role in the pursuit of academic progress considering the long-term guarantee of the Earths demise, whether it comes from armed conflict or an extraterrestrial-born Armageddon via asteroid.

Currently, all our eggs are in one basket here on Earth, Loeb said, and if any catastrophe happens here it could destroy everything we care about.

In the more immediate term, Loeb said humans need the inspiration captured by space exploration.

We need something beyond our troubles that lifts us up and gives meaning to our lives, said Loeb, emphasizing the Apollo program once served that purpose in landing the first people on the moon which changed the psychology of humans.

On the intersection of space and religion, Loeb said, they complement, rather than conflict with each other when refraining from attempts to explain physical phenomenon with theological ideas.

If you believe in God, then what you want is to appreciate reality to its greatest details, Loeb said. That will give you the wonder and awe that otherwise you would not have.

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Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb Says Space Exploration Gives Meaning To Our Lives - The Federalist

Agence France-PresseMay 25, 2021 10:24:28 IST

China's Mars rover drove from its landing platform and began exploring the surface on Saturday, state-run Xinhua news agency said, making the country only the second nation to land and operate a rover on the Red Planet. The launch last July of the Tianwen-1 Mars probe, which carried the Zhurong rover, marked a major milestone in China's space programme. Tianwen-1 touched down on a vast northern lava plain known as the Utopia Planitia a week ago and beamed back its first photos of the surface a few days later.

The six-wheeled, solar-powered, 240-kilogramme (530-pound) Zhurong is named after a Chinese mythical fire god. Image credit: CNSA via AP

The Mars probe and rover are expected to spend around three months taking photos, harvesting geographical data, and collecting and analysing rock samples.

The six-wheeled, solar-powered, 240-kilogramme (530-pound) Zhurong is named after a Chinese mythical fire god.

China has now sent astronauts into space, powered probes to the Moon and landed a rover on Mars -- the most prestigious of all prizes in the competition for dominion of space.

The United States and Russia are the only other countries to have reached Mars, and only the former has operated a rover on the surface.

Several US, Russian and European attempts to land rovers on Mars have failed in the past, most recently in 2016 with the crash-landing of the Schiaparelli joint Russian-European spacecraft.

The latest successful arrival came in February, when US space agency NASA landed its rover Perseverance, which has since been exploring the planet.

The US rover launched a small robotic helicopter on Mars which was the first-ever powered flight on another planet.

China has come a long way in its race to catch up with the United States and Russia, whose astronauts and cosmonauts have decades of experience in space exploration.

It successfully launched the first module of its new space station last month with hopes of having it crewed by 2022 and eventually sending humans to the Moon.

Last week a segment of the Chinese Long March 5B rocket disintegrated over the Indian Ocean in an uncontrolled landing back to Earth.

That drew criticism from the United States and other nations for a breach of etiquette governing the return of space debris to Earth, with officials saying the remnants had the potential to endanger life and property.

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China's Zhurong rover begins its 90-day exploration of Utopia Planitia on Mars - Firstpost