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China's uncrewed mission to Mars has sent back its first image of the Red Planet, the nation's space agency revealed today.  The mission launched on July 23, 2020 and it is expected the craft will land in May of this year, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The stunning black and white image was taken when Tianwen-1 was 1.4million miles (2.2million km) from the Martian surface and although it fails to capture the trademark rusty appearance of the world, it captures the world's unique terrain.  The stunning black and white image was taken when Tianwen-1 was 1.4million miles (2.2million km) from the Martian surface and although it fails to capture the trademark rusty appearance of the world, it captures the world's unique terrain Since the image was taken the probe has edged even closer to our neighbouring planet, and is now around 114million miles (184million km) from Earth.   CNSA adds in its statement that all systems on the probe are in … [Read more...] about China shares incredibly detailed photo of Mars as its Tianwen-1 spacecraft inches closer to landing on the Red Planet

Grant Shapps today warned people not to book any holidays at home or abroad yet as ministers face a major backlash over threatening to jail travellers for 10 years if they lie about having been to 'red list' countries. The Transport Secretary made clear there is no guarantee that breaks will be possible at all this year, saying he did not want to 'raise people's hopes'. The grim comments came amid anger at the extreme border crackdown unveiled by Matt Hancock yesterday in an effort to stop mutant coronavirus strains. Former Supreme Court justice Lord Sumption branded the mooted maximum 10-year prison term for travellers who try to hide their movements 'inhumane' - pointing out it is longer than for some sex offences. And ex-Attorney General Dominic Grieve said courts would never impose the 10-year sentence, which he branded 'draconian'. However, questions were raised this morning over whether the law is going to be changed at all - with some Cabinet ministers suggesting Mr … [Read more...] about Grant Shapps ends any hope of holidays – foreign OR domestic – this year amid backlash at Matt Hancock’s 10-year prison sentence for travellers who lie about visiting Red List countries

China and the US are in a race to Mars - with both nations due to land a rover on the Red Planet this month, and plans for future missions already in development. This new 'space race', unlike the battle to the Moon between the US and Soviet Union, is likely to be a much more crowded field, including private firms and smaller nations - such as the United Arab Emirates who have a probe en-route to Mars now. SpaceX founder Elon Musk reiterated in a recent interview that his aim is to land the first humans on Mars by 2026 - that is seven years earlier than NASA 's earliest goal. The US, China, Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency have loftier goals for exploring Mars - including missions to bring samples of Martian rock back to the Earth by the end of this decade - with humans landing on the planet by 2040. Before then, the first humans on Mars may fly there on the massive SpaceX Starship - currently in the testing phase - with a recent 'explosive' end to a recent … [Read more...] about The ‘new space race’: China and US lead the charge for Mars, with SpaceX and smaller nations fighting for the Moon and low Earth orbit

Matt Hancock was today accused of 'demeaning his office' with blood-curdling threats of 10 years in jail for travellers who lie about visiting mutant Covid-19 hotspots. The Health Secretary trumpeted the measure saying he made 'no apology' for how severe it was as he unveiled an extreme borders crackdown yesterday. From Monday, all arrivals from 33 'red list' countries will have to pay £1,750 to quarantine for 10 days in Government-designated hotels. And he said travellers who try to hide having been in high-risk countries could be jailed for up to 10 years. However, amid disquiet in Cabinet, Downing Street has confirmed the law is not going to be changed at all, and any action would be within the existing provisions of the Forgery Act. Senior Tory MPs accused Mr Hancock of 'stupidity' over the sabre-rattling, pointing out that the country does not have 'enough prison capacity to start locking up 19-year-old silly kids'. Sir Jonathan Jones, the government's former top … [Read more...] about Tories slam Matt Hancock for ‘demeaning his office’ with overblown threats of 10 YEARS in jail for ‘red list’ travellers who lie on forms as it emerges the law WON’T be changed and experts vow to ‘eat a face mask’ if anyone ever gets the full punishment

Space missions are never easy, whether you're sending astronauts a mere 400 kilometers (248 miles) up to the International Space Station, or communications satellites a few thousand kilometers up. Things can and do go wrong. Mars missions are the next level. The planet is farther away, and harder to get to as a result. But, a day after the UAE's Emirates Mars Mission successfully delivered its Hope probe into orbit around Mars, China has also arrived. The Tianwen-1 spacecraft entered into orbit around Mars on Wednesday, seven months after launching from Earth and traveling 450 million kilometers. As with the UAE's Hope probe, the Tianwen-1 spacecraft conducted a "braking" operation to decelerate its speed so that it could be captured by Mars' gravity and avoid overshooting its target or crashing into it. Tianwen-1 launched on July 23, 2020, riding on a Chinese Long March 5 rocket So it's perhaps with good reason that China did not announce an exact arrival time, … [Read more...] about China’s Tianwen-1 enters Mars orbit