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Chinese technology and its trajectory in the conquest of Mars
The technology applied by means of microelectronics, programming, rockets, robotics and telecommunications are decisive for the human being to achieve the conquest of the planet Mars.
Reaching Mars has been, is and will be extremely difficult, since only 50% of the recorded attempts to reach the Martian surface are successful. Very few countries and missions to Mars arrive successfully.
The missions of the former Soviet Union and the rest of Europe have not been successful when reaching the surface of the red planet.
To get to Mars from Earth, many key technologies are needed, including an interplanetary telecommunications network that connects the planet Mars with the Earth, next-generation propellants for launching heavy rockets into satellite orbit and towards the Martian surface, capabilities control, atmospheric reentry of special ships and autonomous technologies for a correct and successful landing or landing.
Let's see in detail what these technologies are and how they work, and the advances made for the closer arrival of humans to the red planet.
Interplanetary telecommunications network
A basic technology to control any exploration mission to the planet Mars and to achieve a future mission manned by humans, is the interplanetary telecommunications network.
Of which there are only two really complete in the world, one created by the US and the other by China. Which among many other functions, allow the remote control of satellites for the communication of devices and rovers robots before, during and after their arrival on the surface of the planet Mars.
These kinds of sophisticated telecommunication walls are critical to any space exploration mission, not just missions that have been successfully sent to Mars.
The most recently created and successfully used interplanetary telecommunications network included an agreement between China and the Argentine government. That allowed to build the first deep space control station in Argentina.
It has a geographic location roughly symmetrical with China throughout, in connection and collaboration with other parts of the planet for the development of China's deep space exploration network.
Laying in this way, a solid base for the capabilities of satellite orbit control and heavy rocket launches.
This advanced communications network allows from planet Earth to control the exploration of the Rovers robots on the Martian surface, control the probes in orbit, adjust the direction of the heavy rockets and receive the images and information that the robots send from the Martian soil.
China's recent modern interplanetary telecommunications network has the ability to control highly heavy rockets weighing 5 tons in total, about 4.9 times heavier than the American Rover, in terms of total launch payload weight.
This being a determining element since rocket technology is what allows robots, equipment, satellites, etc. to be transported from Earth to Mars. And it will be decisive for future human-manned missions.
Currently, there are very few rockets with the appropriate technology to lift and send more than 5 tons from planet Earth.
This has only been achieved by NASA's delta 4 heavy rockets, SpaceX heavy rocket, Falcon rocket and China's long March 5 rocket. Which is the first large-scale liquid hydrogen and oxygen kerosene made by China.
The Chinese space agency is currently a benchmark in the development of technology applied to space exploration with successful projects successfully executed, such as the exploration of the moon, a pioneer for deep space exploration and the successful arrival on Mars with the Zhurong robot., where cutting-edge technological innovations were applied such as the first automatic control of the lander in the history of mankind.
Thermal protection shields
Some of the technological innovations that allowed this achievement are the technology for thermal protection shields that prevents damage to ships, when they face temperatures above 1000ºC when entering the atmosphere.
This requires the landing or landing equipment to have excellent heat protection technology. In such a way that it can keep its electronic components intact during friction with the Martian atmosphere.
In addition to being applied also in atmospheric reentries when Chinese missions enter planet Earth again. So the technologies used in re-entry capsules are already well established and tested by China, along with its sophisticated shield for thermal insulation.
Microtechnologies
Another surprising and cutting-edge microtechnology is the control nozzles and balance wings that prevent the spacecraft from rotating axially and guarantee stability to further improve the reliability of the thermal insulation of the entry into the Martian atmosphere to make this process even more efficient.
The China Institute of Aerospace Science has designed a new type of thermal insulation material, a nanoaerogel that is applied to deal with extremely hot and freezing environments at the same time.
The ultra-light characteristics of the nanoaerogel are also applied to the charging efficiency of the Chinese Rover Zhurong exploration robot, thus allowing it to travel faster and even further.
In addition, China has adopted a unique ballistic lift-type atmospheric entry scheme based on so-called balanced wings, applied for the first time in human exploration of Mars.
Improving the landing precision of missions, controlling the elevation direction. In addition, they are also an ideal atmospheric entry method for future Mars sampling and return missions and landing on Mars.
Materials technologies
The material technology in parachutes is a component to which important technological improvements have also been added.
The thin atmosphere of Mars requires the deployment of parachutes to land during the period of supersonic flight, which contributes to reducing the very high speed with which aircraft enter the surface of the planet Mars, along with the incorporation of multiple and varied sensors technologies.
Within this broad list of fundamental technologies to reach the planet Mars from earth, we cannot fail to mention the greatest work of technological integration and use of telecommunications.
The Rover exploration robots, which are what have become the eyes, ears and senses of the human species on a planet as inert as Mars.
Rover robots are robotic space exploration vehicles designed to move over the surface of a planet or other astronomical object, with a striking integration of computing, robotics, electronics, sensors, and telecommunications.
Each new generation of Rover robots incorporates new instruments and laboratory tools, collecting and scrutinizing important information and preparing the way for the arrival of the first human-manned mission to Mars, which will only be possible thanks to technology and telecommunications.
