China publishes the first ever around the globe color map of Mars
As part of celebrations for Space Day in China 2023, China unveiled a color-coded worldwide map of Mars on April 24. Its spatial resolution of 76 meters will improve the quality of future exploration efforts and scientific studies on Mars.
As part of a launch ceremony in Hefei, Anhui Province in eastern China, the CNSA and CAS unveiled the color map photos.
According to CNSA, we can learn more about Mars thanks to the Tianwen-1 mission’s colored photographs and the mission’s scientific data.
From November 2021 to July 2022, the orbiter of the Tianwen-1 mission performed 284 orbital remote sensing imaging operations, covering the whole surface of Mars with images from its medium-resolution camera. The planet’s color map images were generated by the ground application system after it analyzed 14,757 photographs.
Chief designer for China’s Mars Exploration Program Zhang Rongqiao told CGTN in an interview on the sidelines of Space Day of China activities that “this process has placed high demands for the orbital control.”
He is certain that the map’s hues accurately reflect the red planet.
According to Zhang, “this full-color image of Mars provides a better quality base map for the follow-up Mars exploration projects and scientific research of our country and our international colleagues.”
“I believe this is an important contribution Tianwen-1 made for deep space exploration, for all humanity,” he continued.
Based on the regulations of the International Astronomical Union, 22 of the many geographical entities discovered in these high-resolution photographs of Mars were given names of historical and cultural villages and towns in China with a population of fewer than 100,000.
Launched in July 2020, the Chinese Mars probe Tianwen-1 arrived in Mars orbit in February 2021. In May of 2021, the rover touched down and began its mission.
The rover has continued its mission on Mars after completing the 90 Martian days of scientific exploratory missions it was given. After 358 Sols on Mars, the rover has covered 1,921 meters and is presently resting.
As of June 29, 2022, worldwide remote sensing exploration was accomplished by the Tianwen-1 mission’s orbiter. According to CNSA, it has successfully completed more than a thousand days of operation and will continue to conduct scientific investigation and amass original data in orbit.