China's Mars Orbiter Snaps Amazing Selfies Above Red Planet

InfiniteZero shares a report from Live Science: China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft at Mars pulled a big New Year's surprise with stunning new images captured by a small camera that flew free of the orbiter to snap epic selfies above the Red Planet. The new images published by the China National Space Administration show Tianwen-1 above Mars' north pole, with its solar arrays and antennas on display, as well as a partial closeup of the orbiter and a view of the Red Planet's northern ice cap. The views give an unprecedented view of a spacecraft in orbit around another planet, showing the golden body of Tianwen-1, the silver high-gain antenna for communications, solar arrays and science antennae. A closeup shows the spacecraft's radar antenna parallel to the solar array.

Did it use XX Pro or Valencia?

[arglebargle_xiv]

At least it looks tan. What should the caption be?

China light the way

[Anonymouse Cowtard]

Tianwen-1 make glorious benefit for all mankind. This mission bring learning and understanding for development of future international mission to Mars. We all of us are to gain.

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[AndyKron]

What about the Uyghurs? Fuck the CCP!

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[AmiMoJo]

make glorious benefit

Wasn't that particular bit of racism supposed to be about Kazakhstan?

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[karlandtanya]

Nationalistic recitation of atrocities just marks you as an ignorant dupe.

Yeah China has committed and continues to do really awful things. So does US. So does USSR^H^H^H^H Putin. Here's a secret for you--you get a big enough group of people together and give them a lot of power, some of them are going to do some horrible shit. Every time.

Dismissing a whole set of people based on a statistical inevitability is pretty much the definition of bigotry.

Also, cool picture.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[Tablizer]

This is kind of making fun of "immigrant speak". It won't fly on today's PC world, for good or bad. Violence against Asians after Don's implied blaming of them for the virus shows that some people take such as a license to look down on groups. Yes, bad apples ruin everything; that's life.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[war4peace]

Wow. Textbook paragraph. Pleasant pooches are a-mazing, man!

The money shot

[dotancohen]

Here's the highest quality version of the money shot, taken by an ejected probe facing back at the main spacecraft:
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.... [futurecdn.net]

And is that a mix of the Klingon Empire and United Federation of Planets emblems in the corner?!?

Re: The money shot

[IdanceNmyCar]

The federation looking one is the Chinese Space Agency.

Re: The money shot

[jjaa]

Sure it is - and if there wasn't yet any real reason to hit Chinese economy, then protecting Gene Roddenberrys IP is that reason.

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[zerosomething]

OMG it's 1967 again. https://startrekenhanced.tuneq... [tunequest.org]

Important context

[Bos128]

âoeThe moves were coordinated for public relations boosts on specific dates. The deep space selfies were released on China's National Day, Oct. 1. Orbital mechanics also meant Tianwen-1 would enter orbit around Mars just days before the Chinese New Year in 2021, seeing the achievement highlighted in official celebrations.âoe

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[JaredOfEuropa]

This sort of stuff works, whether you're promoting your country's achievements or your company or space flight in general. Look at the coverage of early / significant SpaceX missions; notice how dull NASA / ESA launches are in comparison. Look at Starman. That's the sort of stuff that has kids growing up wanting to be astronauts or scientists.

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[whitroth]

Yep. Look how well it worked to launch Challenger so Raygun could tout it in his speech that night.

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[Joce640k]

âoeThe moves were coordinated for public relations boosts on specific dates. The deep space selfies were released on China's National Day, Oct. 1. Orbital mechanics also meant Tianwen-1 would enter orbit around Mars just days before the Chinese New Year in 2021, seeing the achievement highlighted in official celebrations.âoe

Yeah, NASA would never launch anything on Christmas Eve or anything like that...

I'd be more impressed

[sabbede]

if they had developed all that tech themselves.

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[whitroth]

STFU. If you don't like it, stop posting to the 'Net on a computer were everything in it was built in China.

You're like the GOPers wearing American flag pins... made in China.

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[quenda]

if they had developed all that tech themselves.

The last time any country developed such tech "by themselves", it was the Nazis building the V2 rocket to bomb London.
Since then it has been captured scientists, spies, and technology transfer.