1. China's first Mars rover named Zhurong
China's first Mars rover has been named "Zhurong" after the god of fire from Chinese legend, according to Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the China National Space Administration, who revealed the name at the opening ceremony of the 2021 China Space Conference on April 24.
The rover is 1.85 meters high and weighs about 240 kilograms. It has six wheels and four solar panels, and can move at 200 meters an hour on the Martian surface. It will probe the composition of the Martian surface, the geological structure, climate and environment.
China's first Mars rover is named "Zhurong". [Photo/WeChat account: szchtf]
2. Construction of China's space station starts in full
A core module of China's space station was launched into space on April 29 at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province.
The space station will become a common outpost for space-faring countries to explore the universe through cooperation. Tianhe, the name of the core module, means "Harmony of the Heavens" in Chinese, and it conveys China's sincere efforts to promote mutual trust and peace through international partnerships aboard the space station.
3. Astronomers discover the smallest black hole ever recorded
Astronomers from Ohio State University in the United States have discovered the smallest black hole ever recorded, which is also the closest one to Earth ever found. It's been named "The Unicorn".
The findings were published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on April 21.
The smallest black hole ever recorded has been discovered. [Photo/WeChat account: szchtf]
4. Optical storage time increased to 1 hour
Scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China recently increased "optical storage time" – regarded as an important step towards the realization of a quantum USB flash drive – to one hour.
The feat smashed the world record of one minute set by German scientists in 2013. The result was published in the journal Nature Communications.
5. World's first fully recyclable printed electronic product created
Engineers at Duke University in the US have developed the world's first fully recyclable printed electronics – a transistor made from three carbon-based inks.
The researchers hope to spur the development of a new generation of recyclable electronic products to help solve the world's growing global e-waste problem.
American engineers develop the world's first fully recyclable printed electronics. [Photo/WeChat account: szchtf]