Welcome to Mars! Have a look around! Photographer Andrew Bodrov has provided yet another stunning mosaic from the perspective of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover, giving his online audience a 360-degree view of what it’s like to stand on the Red Planet.
The images for the panorama come from the Rover’s 34-millimeter Mast Camera, and if you want to take it for a spin yourself, check out the clip at the bottom.
The mosaic is approximately 30,000 pixels wide, and includes 101 photos taken on Sol 530.
The location at which the rover is standing, the Dingo Gap, is a sand dune that’s approximately 3 feet high and something that’s posing quite the problem for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program right now.
You see, the next location goal for Curiosity is Mount Sharp, and there are two routes to get there. One is a rock-covered path that could damage the rover’s aluminum wheels and render it immobile. The other is a smoother path to Sharp, but in order to get to it, the rover needs to get over the Dingo Gap.
Holding the rover back is the fact that its older cousin, Spirit, is still stuck in a sand dune on the other side of the planet.
“The decision hasn't been made yet, but it is prudent to go check,” said Jim Erickson, Curiosity's project manager at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We'll take a peek over the dune into the valley immediately to the west to see whether the terrain looks as good as the analysis of orbital images implies.”
The Internet was abuzz earlier in the week with the idea that NASA might rev up Curiosity’s engines, rush the dune and use it as a ramp to land on the path, thereby avoiding the whole fiasco of having to drive down the side of the dune and potentially get stuck . But NASA has already confirmed that it definitely will not be going that route, opting instead for a solution that’s a little more slow and steady.
Curiosity made an attempt earlier in the week to drive a little bit up the dune, but quickly retreated. The team is now in the process of analyzing the sand under the rover’s wheels to determine its firmness to see if Curiosity will be able to survive the off-road trip without getting stuck.
In the meantime, we all might as well have a look around. Take Curiosity’s Mast Camera for a spin by using the controls below:
Mars Panorama – Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 530 in The World
**UPDATE**
Curiosity has made it over the dune! GIF below of the bot's drive over the dune, followed by a static image of the path the bot made:
Story via: 360cities.net
Advertisement
Learn more about Electronic Products Magazine
