All Mars robots simultaneously 'revived'

Robot Perseverance, Chuc Dung, Ingenuity helicopter. reconnect with Earth and continue the mission to explore the red planet.

The Perseverance rover resumes normal operations after two weeks of radio loss due to the fact that Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the solar conjunction . Similarly, Zhu Rong , China's first robot on Mars, also revived since China was unable to communicate effectively with the red planet.

Wide-angle photo taken by robot Chuc Dung when announcing the end of the Sun conjunction. (Photo: CNSA)

The Perseverance robot started working again on October 19 and immediately rolled on the planet. Chinese authorities announced on October 21 that the Tianwen 1 spacecraft had orbited and the Zhu Rong robot had re-established communication and restored scientific and exploration activities.

Late last month, all communication between Mars and Earth probes or rovers was heavily disrupted by solar radiation, which occurs when Earth and Mars move in opposite directions. opposite. The ground control team was forced to pause its exploration mission, running a series of precautionary algorithms such as an advanced automated working state that can handle a wide variety of scenarios. "Loss of signal due to the Sun is a common phenomenon when we explore celestial bodies in the Solar system, especially Mars and other planets in the inner ring ," said Jiao Weixin, a professor of space science at the University of California. Peking University, said.

Similar to Chuc Dung, NASA's Perseverance and Curiosity robots, along with other robots such as the Ingenuity helicopter, InSight lander, and three orbiters (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and Odyssey), also performed countless experiments. experience during the period when no contact with Earth was possible. Perseverance conducts weather measurements, camera and microphone orientation to monitor "dust storms" . The Ingenuity Helicopter located 175 meters away reports weekly status. The Curiosity robot measures radiation and weather. The InSight station listens for signals of Martian earthquakes. The three spacecraft continued their steady course around orbit, transmitting all relevant data back to Earth.

After passing the Sun conjunction, any Mars rover can directly transmit all collected data to a control center on the ground. This means engineers can download new images transmitted from Mars.