How does the Chinese robot cope with the Martian winter?

Engineers have prepared many measures to help the robot Chuc Dung overcome the 6-month long Martian winter, many sandstorms with a temperature of -100 degrees Celsius.

Zhu Rong, a Chinese robot operating on Mars, is ready to face winter on this planet, CGTN reported on May 3. In winter, night temperatures on Mars can drop below -100 degrees Celsius with a high chance of sandstorms. Besides, winter here lasts equivalent to 6 months on Earth. This harsh environment poses great challenges for Chuc Dung.

Simulating robot Chuc Dung operating on Mars.

To cope with the frequent sandstorms in winter and help the robot operate safely, engineers have developed Chuc Dung with low temperature resistance, sand resistance, guaranteed power and other capabilities. other.

"First, the panels installed in the solar 'wing' are made of a special material called a superhydrophobic material. Just like how a lotus leaf causes water droplets to slide, this material helps dust. more easily swept away," said Peng Song, deputy director of design for the Tianwen 1 probe. Thien Van 1 is the spacecraft that will send Zhu Rong to Mars in May 2021.

Chuc Dung's solar wings are also capable of tracking the direction of the Sun, allowing them to shift at sunrise like a sunflower, thereby maximizing energy absorption despite the low Sun angle at winter.

The third measure to help Chuc Dung cope with winter is to save and reduce energy consumption by changing operating patterns in windy and sandy weather.

According to Peng, if all three measures above do not solve the energy problem, the robot will enter a sleep state until the dust clears. Once there, it will automatically wake up and continue working.

Two selfie photos of Chuc Dung on May 19, 2021 and January 22, 2022 show that dust begins to cover the robot's surface over time. "So far, everything seems safe and stable. However, dust can affect the electricity production of the solar blades. Dust reduces the efficiency of electricity generation, which in turn leads to a lack of energy. ", Peng said.

To generate enough energy for Chuc Dung, the team of experts designed the solar wings to be large enough to absorb more energy. "To this point, the robot's energy absorption, storage and delivery have met our original design expectations. For the harsh winter to come, we've prepared the corresponding plan and appropriate strategy," shared Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the Tianwen 1 mission.

As of May 1, the robot Chuc Dung has operated for 342 Martian days and traveled more than 1,900 meters south from its landing point at Utopia Planitia - the vast plain in the northern hemisphere of the red planet.