Sat, Jul 3, 2021
With the activation of the Zhurong Rover China becomes the second nation to operate a rover on Mars. Its intended destination is a possible mud volcano relatively near the landing site in Utopia Planitia. This basin is thought to have been flooded with water in the past. After the surface water froze over it is thought that warm sub-surface mud may have flowed though cracks in the ice forming the caldera like features observed in the area.
Sat, Aug 21, 2021
The autonomous Mars helicopter, Inginuity, stretched it's mission plan with its tenth flight. Intented as a test aircraft Inginuity became a true explorer as it scouted distant terrain for locations the Mars rover, Perseverance, could visit with its substantial instrumentation suite.