China's aerospace has a new mission, is expected to launch the "Tianwen-3" probe around 2028, to Mars to complete the sampling mission, will return to the earth around 2030, because NASA whether it is a lunar exploration program, or an exploration of Mars program, because of technology, funding and many other problems delayed, or stranded, so if the "Tianwen-3" is successful, it may be at least two years ahead of NASA to complete the return of Mars sampling, which also means that China's aerospace will write a new human history.
So why do we want to explore Mars? Why do we go to Mars to take samples? How mysterious is Mars, and what is the point of studying it?
Let's find out!
Since 1962, mankind has launched more than 40 probes to Mars, among which only one belongs to China, and that is the "Tianwen-1" launched in May 2021.
Although the probability of the mainland's first Mars rover "Zhurong" waking up is very slim, it still found a lot of valuable information for us during its mission. For example, through the study of the Utopia Plains in the landing area, "Zhurong" proved that there was a large amount of liquid water on Mars, and even Mars, like the Earth, once had a vast ocean.
This also shows once again that there was a habitable period in the history of Mars, and this discovery is crucial for human research on the evolutionary history of Mars and the feasibility of future colonization on Mars.
In the solar system, there are two planets that most closely resemble Earth, one is Venus and the other is Mars. Many people say that Venus is the past of the Earth and Mars is the future of the Earth.
Take Mars as an example, it is the same as the Earth, not only the four seasons are distinct, and even the length of each day is about the same, and Mars also has a thin atmosphere, no matter how you look at it, it should not be full of desolation, in short, from the situation of Mars, there should be signs of life on Mars, but in fact Mars is a barren.
So since Mars has a habitable period, how did it become like this? Did it ever have life during the Martian habitable period? And in the future, through research and transformation, will it be possible for human beings to make Mars a habitable planet again? These are the reasons why we explore Mars.
By comparing some geomorphological features of Mars and Earth, scientists have found that Mars is the most similar to Earth among all known planets, especially the Qaidam Basin on the continent, and it will be found that it is extremely similar to Mars.
Coupled with the abundance of water on Mars, and at least 5 to 1 billion years after the formation of Mars, Mars had a strong magnetic field, and the Martian magnetic field was the same as the Earth's magnetic field, and the American "Curiosity" once found organic matter on Mars, as well as the seasonal fluctuations of Martian methane, all of which make Mars more valuable for exploration and research.
Therefore, human beings can't wait to go to Mars, want to get Martian soil samples, and then return to Earth for more detailed research, in order to realize this wish, the continent will plan to complete the return of Mars samples around 2030, including the United States.
It's just that the original plan was that the United States also planned to complete the sample return in 2030, but due to the postponement of the plan, it has now been postponed to about 2033 to complete the sample return, so the continent is likely to become the first country in the world to complete the sample return of Mars.
In this regard, netizens have also expressed their opinions:
"I feel that in terms of Mars sampling and manned landing on Mars, only China can succeed, and other countries are enough, let's wait and see."
"A small step for Chinese, a big step for human society"
"Why do you want to bring samples? Mars is likely to carry unknown life forms, is there any possibility of resuscitation if they are brought back to Earth?"
"The samples retrieved from Mars must be careful when they come back, and they must not be written with alien viruses or bacteria on them, because there may be life on Mars, and they will be quarantined for 21 days after they come back."
"I predict that the Mars exploration sample return plan, it is very likely that the Chinese can complete it, the United States and Europe are not good, it is a big pie"
"I wish China's aerospace industry to continue to develop and realize the dream of becoming an aviation power. ”
"China's development is unstoppable, and we are already at the forefront of the world in space development. ”
"Maybe unexpected new elements will be discovered in the Martian soil, so that new materials will be changed dramatically, and the interstellar era will come early"
In addition to exploring Mars, every planet in the solar system, including some moons, also has its place worth exploring for mankind. Therefore, around 2030, our country will not only complete the Mars sample return mission, but also complete the launch of "Tianwen-4", go to the Jupiter system to study Jupiter and Ganymede, and complete the flyby of Uranus.
After that, we will complete the manned landing plan on Mars, explore the many possibilities of building a Mars base in the future, and even immigrating to Mars, let's wait and see!