Tour Mars with NASA’s 360 Degree Interactive video of Rover Curiosity on Martian Dunes
You don’t need to be an astronaut to explore sand dunes of Mars, as NASA is offering you an opportunity to have a look at Martian surface while staying on your couch. The space agency of the US has released an amazing 360-degree video which takes you on a tour to Bagnold Dune Field on the Red Planet.
The video has been created by using high definition images captured by Mars rover Curiosity. You can see it on your computer, tablet or any smart device, but for the best experience, you should use your smartphone, or a Google Cardboard viewer.
Through the footage, you can explore the same Martian region where the car-sized robotic rover clicked its recent selfie. In the video, you can get a glimpse of the brown Namib Dune which appears in the front of Curiosity. The bedrock of Naukluft Plateau is also visible in the 360-degree video.
While providing more information on the video, the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said, “This view of the downwind face of ‘Namib Dune’ on Mars covers 360 degrees, including a portion of Mount Sharp on the horizon. The site is part of the dark-sand ‘Bagnold Dunes’ field along the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp”.
The rover clicked the pictures used to make the video in December last year with its Mast Camera, also called Mastcam, according to the NASA. These were clicked by Curiosity on its 1197th Martian day on the planet.
Curiosity Rover, which has been exploring Mars and its surface since 2012, was intended to perform experiment on the planet for just 24 months. However, the car-sized robot completed all its missions successfully, and is still active on the Red Planet.