Chinese spacecraft lands on a world very similar to Earth?

(NLDO) - Before "dying", China's Zhurong spacecraft had a trip to the ancient shore of another planet.

A study recently published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports analyzed the massive dataset that the Zhurong spacecraft managed to send back to Earth before going silent forever on Mars, and discovered vivid evidence of an ancient world very similar to Earth.

In 2021, this Chinese spacecraft landed on a plain in the Utopia region of the northern hemisphere of Mars.

That's where remote sensing vehicles have found signs of ancient water.

China's Zhurong spacecraft - Photo: CNSA

Zhurong's expedition verified the existence of water with more vivid evidence, even proving the existence of a vast ocean.

Research led by Dr. Bo Wu from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (China) discovered unique topographic features where Zhurong made landfall, including conical structures with holes, polygonal grooves, and flows "sculpted" into ancient rocks.

Previous studies have suggested that the aforementioned cone-shaped structures may originate from mud volcanoes and typically form in areas with water or ice.

The new study combined spacecraft data with satellite data and a number of related analyses, concluding that the area's unique terrain could only be an ancient ocean, formed by a cataclysmic flood nearly 3.7 billion years ago.

This ocean froze over during the subsequent cold period, preserving distinct features of the coastline before completely drying out 3.4 billion years ago.

And China's rover-like robot - the Zhurong spacecraft - has actually been roaming a coastline that was once very similar to the ones we see on Earth.

A new discovery from China supports the hypothesis of many space agencies and scientists around the world that Mars was once a twin version of Earth.

NASA has painted a red planet once covered in blue water, with a river system, oceans just like Earth and even swimming creatures.

The US space agency also has three autonomous vehicle-like robots similar to Zhurong searching for evidence of water and life on Mars, with Curiosity and Perseverance still in operation.

For the study from China, the authors hope future missions can collect samples directly from suspected ancient ocean sites to more clearly verify these findings.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tau-vu-tru-trung-quoc-lac-vao-the-gioi-rat-giong-trai-dat-196241109071914242.htm