Geomorphic contexts and science focus of the Zhurong landing site on Mars

Abstract

As part of the Tianwen-1 mission, the Zhurong rover successfully touched down in southern Utopia Planitia on 15 May 2021. On the basis of the new sub-metre-resolution images from the High Resolution Imaging Camera on board the Tianwen-1 orbiter, we determined that the Zhurong rover landed at 109.925° E, 25.066° N at an elevation of −4,099.4 m. The landing site is near the highland–lowland boundary1 and multiple suspected shorelines2–7. Under the guidance of the remote sensing survey, the Zhurong rover is travelling south for specific in situ investigation. Supported by the six payloads on board the rover8, its initial key targets are rocks, rocky fields, transverse aeolian ridges and subsurface structures along the path. Extended investigation will aim at troughs and cones in the distance. A better understanding of the formation mechanisms of these targets may shed light on the historical volcanism and water/ice activities within the landing area, as well as the activities of the wind. These results may reveal the characteristics and evolution of the ancient Martian environment and advance the exploration of the habitability of ancient Mars.

Layered Ejecta Craters in the Candidate Landing Areas of China's First Mars Mission (Tianwen‐1): Implications for Subsurface Volatile Concentrations

“…Particularly, the pitted cones in the distance have been chosen as an important investigation target (Liu et al., 2021). Besides, there will also be a chance for a visit to the LEC at the south end of the landing area (Liu et al., 2021). Thus, Zhurong rover could carry out field investigations of both features, searching for definitive evidence of compositional similarities and differences and feature origins.…”

“…At present, the Zhurong rover is traveling south for specific in situ survey of a series of geologic features and subsurface structures along its path. Particularly, the pitted cones in the distance have been chosen as an important investigation target (Liu et al., 2021). Besides, there will also be a chance for a visit to the LEC at the south end of the landing area (Liu et al., 2021).…”

“…Wu, Dong, et al, 2021): the southern Utopia-Isidis Planitia (SUIP) and southern Chryse Planitia (SCP; Figure 2). Although the Tianwen-1 mission landed in Utopia Planitia at 109.925°E, 25.066°N (e.g., Liu et al, 2021;Mills et al, 2021;Wan et al, 2021;X. Wu, Liu, et al, 2021;Zhao et al, 2021), our analysis included both candidate areas as mentioned above for full documentation and comparison purposes.…”

“…its path. Particularly, the pitted cones in the distance have been chosen as an important investigation target (Liu et al, 2021). Besides, there will also be a chance for a visit to the LEC at the south end of the landing area (Liu et al, 2021).…”

“…Given the rover's requirement for touchdown safety and mobility, two candidate landing areas were selected for the Mars exploration mission in the latitude range of 5–30°N (Ye et al., 2017; B. Wu, Dong, et al., 2021): the southern Utopia‐Isidis Planitia (SUIP) and southern Chryse Planitia (SCP; Figure 2). Although the Tianwen‐1 mission landed in Utopia Planitia at 109.925°E, 25.066°N (e.g., Liu et al., 2021; Mills et al., 2021; Wan et al., 2021; X. Wu, Liu, et al., 2021; Zhao et al., 2021), our analysis included both candidate areas as mentioned above for full documentation and comparison purposes. In general, the scientific objectives of the mission are to conduct field geological mapping, investigate the surface soil characteristics and material composition, detect water‐ice distribution, and explore the atmospheric ionosphere and surface climate and environment conditions.…”