China’s Zhurong Mars rover takes a selfie
China’s Zhurong rover has sent back a batch of new images from Mars – including a “selfie”. The robot, which landed in May, positioned a wireless camera on the ground and then rolled back a short distance to take the snap. To Zhurong’s right is the rocket-powered platform that brought the six-wheeled vehicle to a soft touchdown. Both display prominent Chinese flags. A second image, taken by the rover, shows the platform on its own. Visible is the ramp down which Zhurong had to drive to get on to the surface; and the tracks it left in the dust as it turned around.
A third picture looks out to the horizon from the landing site. This region is known as Utopia Planitia, a vast terrain in Mars’ northern hemisphere. All the images were released by the Chinese space agency in a ceremony to celebrate the success of the rover mission.(BBC)…[+]