The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has published an astonishing 360-degree video that shows the surface of the red planet, Mars. The visual piece that can be seen on Youtube, was created by uniting photographs taken by the Curiosity Rover on December 2015.
The photographs were taken at Nimb Dune, from where the Mount Sharp can be seen on the horizon. Curiosity did the amazing work on the 1,197th sol (a Martian day) of its mission, said TechCrunch. A Martian day is roughly 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth.
“Looking at these beautiful videos of sand and mountains makes me forget that it is a different planet,” wrote a Youtube user called Ayush. “91 people disliked our robot driving around on another planet. I am ashamed of us,” said another user on Youtube on Thursday.
The 360-degree video can be best enjoyed on a smartphone, since users are able to move their phones and take a look at the different views as if they were standing in front of Mars. Previously, NASA had published panoramic views of the planet. However, since Youtube and Facebook added support for 360º videos, the space agency has offered users a more immersive view of the planet.
On January 19, NASA also published a funny photograph called the “rover selfie,” which was created using a Curiosity’s front camera, with the combination of 57 different shots. The rover is equipped with 17 cameras attached to its body, used for navigation.
Top discoveries from NASA’s Curiosity Rover
According to a NASA’s facts sheet, antique Mars could have had optimal conditions to support living microbes. Curiosity has found fundamental elements that are necessary for life such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur, in Mars rocks. Also, a theory would appear to suggest that the planet had once drinkable water. Organic molecules, that are the building blocks of life, have also been found by the rover. This means that millions of years ago, the planet had basic ingredients to create life. Moreover, Curiosity has discovered methane in the atmosphere of the red planet, the chemical compound that can be produced by living organisms or by reactions between rock and water, wrote NASA.
It is expected that humans will reach Mars by the mid-2030s. Thanks to Curiosity, the radiation levels of the planet were measured. As a result, NASA is analyzing the data to develop a mission with the necessary safe conditions for astronauts.
Source: TechCrunch