Chinese scientists have helped the country’s plans to collect rock samples from the Red Planet by creating a numerical model to simulate the Martian atmosphere. The model repeats the cycles of dust, water and carbon dioxide. atmosphere of mars. It will be used to simulate meteorological conditions for spacecraft landings, including surface temperature, wind and dust. There was a recent study published In the journal China Science Bulletin.

According to previous reports, China plans to launch the Mars sample return mission Tianwen-3 between 2028 and 2030. The lander will collect up to 1.1 pounds (500 grams) of Martian material using a drill and robotic arm. The lifter will then return the precious cargo to Mars orbit to rendezvous with the orbiter awaiting its journey home.

According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, lead researcher Wang Bin said the new atmospheric model “can simulate the temperature at the landing site, and scientists can use this data to design suitable materials for the rovers to cope with extreme cold.” mass media

The Global Open Planet Model of the Martian Atmosphere, or GoMars model, was built using data from China’s defunct Zhurong rover, NASA’s Viking 1 and 2 landers, and the OpenMARS reanalysis dataset, the global Mars weather record.

Zhurong was part of China’s first interplanetary mission, Tianwen-1, which launched in 2020 and also included a Mars rover. Tianwen-2, scheduled to launch in early 2025, will visit a near-Earth asteroid and main belt comet, while Tianwen-3 will collect samples from Mars. Tianwen-4, scheduled to launch around 2030, will head towards Jupiter and its moon Callisto, separating from the probe that will fly past Uranus.