We will keep a good thought, and a weather-eye on eye on the horizon -- well into the coming luminous dawn, tomorrow. . . so that this all goes off without a hitch. An echo, to NASA's own first soft landing at Utopia Planitia, on what Edgar Rice Burroughs memorably called. . . Barsoom.
Here's the latest, from the translated CNSA press release:
. . .The Tianwen-1 probe plans to choose an opportunity to land on the Martian Utopia Plain from the early morning of May 15 to May 19, Beijing time. . . .
Now -- the video-feed, on YouTube, out of China. . .
It is fascinating that the Chinese rover will be driving in the same zip code as. . . Viking, from all the way back in 1976. Grinning ear to ear, now. . . onward, to the undiscovered country out there. . . rising in the Spring's night sky, like a red coal, with a moan. . . .
नमस्ते
2 comments:
Will this new rover lookup Viking lander?
Is it part of the missing plan to take pics?
Thanks Richie -- we need to recall that Utopia Planitia is a very very vast expanse of of land.
And, to be candid, we must remember that this is a mission by China, not NASA. And our two nations are not. . . close allies.
No, I think the China team of scientists plans to do their own scientific observations and use their own methods. And that is wise -- they may encounter very different topography than Viking did -- and our learnings (as scientists the world over) will be. . . the richer for it.
Even so, since China has not yet released their exact landing spot, I suppose it is possible. . . if unlikely -- that they might land and drive over, to see what's become of Viking 2, in these ensuing 45 or so years. Will it be half buried?
Will the old lander yield new secrets -- or. . . have little green Martians stripped it for parts?! [Not likely!]
We shall see. . . grinning.
Good questions!
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