The Chinese rover "Zhuzhong" transmitted to Earth audio and video materials that interested scientists. Among them are a dangerous landing on the surface of the planet, selfies of the rover and sounds with which researchers hope to study the nature of the wind on Mars.
The Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) has published several videos taken by the Zhuzhong rover. Among them are incredible shots that capture the 23-second dangerous landing of the device on the surface of the planet.
"This is an amazing data set," said David Flannery, an astrobiologist at the Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia) and a member of the team that developed NASA's Perseverance rover.
The Zhuzhong arrived on Mars on May 15. The video shows the rapid deceleration of the lander before the direct landing on Mars. You can see how the parachute opens, after which the surface of the planet becomes visible.
A week later, on May 22 ,the Zhuzhong rolled off the ramp onto the landing platform. This moment is also captured on video, but with sound. You can hear the hum of electric motors and the creak of wheels rolling along a metal ramp.
Flannery called the sounds of the rover "intriguing". A microphone is also installed in the American "Perservance", and the researchers are trying to compare the audio with the data of the rover's weather station in order to study the nature of the wind.
"At the beginning of the mission, this was not part of the tasks of Perservance, but this kind of scientific research will be possible with a Chinese rover," said Flannery. "It often turns out that we make discoveries by chance and can use our tools in the most unexpected ways."
On the third week of the mission, on June 1, the Zhuzhong dropped a wireless camera on the ground, after which it retreated a little to take pictures of itself and the lander.