China's Ambitious Mars Sample Return Mission Set to Outpace NASA

China is planning to send crewed missions to Mars and return samples of Martian soil and rock to Earth ahead of NASA's proposed Mars Sample Return mission. Chinese scientists have developed a new numerical model called GoPlanet-Mars to simulate the atmospheric environment of Mars, providing crucial information for landing, sampling, and returning tasks. The model successfully reproduced the unique characteristics of Mars' surface pressure and provided good simulation performance for temperature, wind, polar ice, and dust. This model will aid in mission planning and design, as well as analyzing the causes of dormancy and developing materials suitable for Mars rovers.