Chinese scientists send Mars-style rover to roof of the world on mission to explore Tibetan Plateau
- Robot explorers have already been used on the moon and the Red Planet, but now they are starting to operate on earth
- Scientists have lost their lives exploring the region, but now they hope to gather key data on climate change and melting glaciers remotely
A car-sized rover that recently explored a remote glacier in the Tibetan Plateau has become the first robot deployed on the roof of the world, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has announced.
The Pandengzhe, or “Climber”, spent five days on Kuoqionggangri, a glacier more than 5,500 metres (18,000ft) above sea level, according to the academy, and collected a trove of first-hand data using the various instruments on board, the academy said on Tuesday.
During its mission, it had to cross rough terrain, heavy snow, rocky debris and climb steep slopes. It also had to survive extremely low temperatures, reboot itself after a power outage and avoid some deadly cracks hidden under the ice sheet.
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The academy said that in future other rovers and drones could replace humans in exploring the most remote parts of Tibet – an area that has profound importance for the future of the planet.