China is officially going to Mars

[Judi Lynn]

By Mike Wehner @MikeWehner
May 25th, 2020 at 7:07 PM

It wasn’t all that long ago that China didn’t seem to care much about space. The country watched The US and Russia dominate space exploration for decades before truly throwing its hat into the ring. Now, following a mission schedule that has proceeded at a breakneck pace, China is poised to launch a new mission to Mars.

The country announced that it believes it will be ready to send its Mars mission skyward in July. Similar to NASA’s Mars missions, China will be sending a rover to the Martian surface in the hopes of uncovering some of the planet’s long-held secrets, including whether or not life has ever taken root there.

Assuming the planned July launch remains on schedule, China’s “Tianwen” spacecraft will spend months cruising through space before eventually arriving at Mars. During this time, there’s not much for Chinese scientists to do but wait and keep their fingers crossed that everything arrives in one piece.

Once it makes it to Mars, the spacecraft will enter orbit around the planet and the robotic rover will be deployed to the surface. It will be China’s first attempt to send a rover to Mars, marking a major milestone for the Chinese space group China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

More:
https://bgr.com/2020/05/25/china-mars-mission-2020-launch-date/

[Buckeye_Democrat]

1. Mars fight!

The USA might show more interest if there's a "competitor".

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I thought that Trump ordered NASA to send a man to Mars during his "first term?"

I think they should take him up on it as long as he's willing to go first...

[John Fante]

3. Trump "marred" the planet during his first, last, and only term.

Not sure if that's what he was going for.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

4. That piece of shit would probably want to...

... have Obama's name removed from the rovers on Mars, as his main priority.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. I didn't realize that President Obama's name was on it, that is very cool! Thanks!

I've always been fond of the Mars Rover...

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

6. I read a lot of science fiction...

In so many stories the Chinese are the leaders in space and exploration.

[Jeorge IX]

7. Taikonauts will beat Astronauts and Cosmonauts to the the Red Planet

I'd prefer it be us, but I just don't see that happening.

[Auggie]

8. The investment of science, time, and money could be spent on so much more useful stuff, you know?

Mars secrets? How about some Earth TLC?