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Science

‘Next Best Thing to Being There’: NASA Releases Stunning 360-Degree Image of Mars

Jul. 8, 2012 11:12am
NASA Mars 360

This full-circle scene combines 817 images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. It shows the terrain that surrounded the rover while it was stationary for four months of work during its most recent Martian winter. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/Arizona State Univ.

It may be a long time before humans are able to get to Mars, but according to NASA, we have the “next best thing.”

The agency last week unveiled a breathtaking image of the Red Planet, stitched together from 817 component images taken by NASA’s Opportunity rover over a five-month period.

Wired Science has more:

The solar-powered, golf-cart-sized rover, called Opportunity, wrapped up exploration of the half-mile-wide Victoria Crater in August 2008. It then rolled for the next three years to reach the 14-mile-wide Endeavour Crater.

But the plucky robot must hunker down during Martian winters that last six Earth months, as Opportunity needs to have enough power to warm its fragile electronics. So from Dec. 21, 2011 through May 8, 2012, NASA instructed the robot to stay put and take 817 images.

The space agency stitched those photos together to craft a near-wraparound image of Opportunity’s overwintering spot, a rocky outcrop near the 4-billion-year-old Endeavour Crater that scientists named “Greeley Haven.”

NASA Mars 360 close up

Close-up of the left-hand side of the image via the Daily Mail.

NASA provides this additional image information:

North is at the center of the image. South is at both ends. On the far left at the horizon is “Rich Morris Hill.”

[...]

Bright wind-blown deposits on the left are banked up against the Greeley Haven outcrop. Opportunity’s tracks can be seen extending from the south, with a turn-in-place and other maneuvers evident from activities to position the rover at Greeley Haven. The tracks in some locations have exposed darker underlying soils by disturbing a thin, bright dust cover.

Other bright, dusty deposits can be seen to the north, northeast, and east of Greeley Haven. The deposit at the center of the image, due north from the rover’s winter location, is a dusty patch called “North Pole.” Opportunity drove to it and investigated it in May 2012 as an example of wind-blown Martian dust.

The interior of Endeavour Crater can been seen just below the horizon in the right half of the scene, to the northeast and east of Cape York. The crater spans 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter.

According to NASA, the image is presented in “false color to emphasize differences between materials in the scene.”

You can download larger versions of the image here.

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Comments (84)

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  • Too_Far_Gone
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 2:54pm

    Looks like obongo was in charge for a few years…

    Report this comment

    Too_Far_Gone  
  • shogun459
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 2:50pm

    Remember who ended America’s space program?
    Obama
    Who gave the world the gift of our space station?
    Clinton
    Who gave China missil tech for space that is now guiding nuke rockets?
    Clinton
    Who ran up the tab and then gave China a Rite of imminent domain for all holding US foriegn and Domestic.
    Obama

    America is being given away and sold out.

    Report this comment

    shogun459  
    • CatB
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 3:03pm

      Yes .. everytime the Dems have control .. we lose more and more. Including but not limited to .. freedom.

      Look what HILLARY and Obama are doing now to the safety and stability of the world!

      Report this comment

      CatB  
    • hazmat_factor
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 3:16pm

      Now add to that, Afganistan in favored status, does that mean they won’t be screened as carefully @ the airport???

      Report this comment

      hazmat_factor  
    • demokratikhundscheisse
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 4:02pm

      Yeah, but we got NASA Mooslum outreach in return! LOL….

      Report this comment

      demokratikhundscheisse  
    • koobee
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 7:28pm

      You didn’t mention the Alaskan Islands to Russia;.

      Report this comment

      koobee  
  • garylee123
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 2:15pm

    Looks like the US after four more years of Oblammo.

    Report this comment

    garylee123  
  • Randyrocker
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 2:10pm

    Wow NASA the organization shut down by Obama delights us all, by showing us first hand, just where we can ship Barack Obama and his band of lying thugs in the White House this November.

    Report this comment

    Randyrocker  
  • Jezreel
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:56pm

    Hope you are not one of these idiots who is going to write his name in and give the vote to Obama. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like Romney either but those who are going to throw a tantrum and write in a name or not vote at all are stupid idiots.

    Report this comment

    Jezreel  
  • Rayblue
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:43pm

    One drone with an hours worth of power could do a lot more
    than a radio shack remote controlled go-cart.

    Report this comment

    Rayblue  
  • BeingThere
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:15pm

    With the infinite number of planets available why can’t I have my own? It’s extremely embarrassing to be on this one and I want off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Report this comment

    BeingThere  
  • capitalismrocks
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:14pm

    I’m waiting for the EPA to shutdown NASA planetary exploration missions because we left so much unregulated pollution and garbage on the surface of other planets ;-)

    Report this comment

    capitalismrocks  
    • tommyg524
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 9:10pm

      Still in ur house? Still got a job? Got an education loan to pay off to some private? Got a savings account? 402k? yes, yes, no, yes,yes? then youre in ok shape, for now. But for many americans, yeah the wh-te n bl-ck peeps who run this cuntry (not the illegals) are out on the street thanks to central banks and all things wall street. My question is, where do these central banks fit in in the scheme of “capitalismrocks”? Yeah, you know, the world banking system which profits on BOTH sides of ALL wars todate. I’d like to know. ust an honest question. You don’t have to come back with some smart assed answer to belittle me, just answer the question.

      Report this comment

      tommyg524  
  • Blacktooth
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:13pm

    We trashed the earth. We trashed the Moon. We trashed Mars. We trashed the Oceans. We trashed Space with our orbiting satellites. We trashed ourselves by ignoring God’s pleadings and counsel.

    Should we repent and seek God’s face? – Romans 2:4

    Report this comment

    Blacktooth  
    • GoodStuff
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:34pm

      Why are you talking about God? You seem more concerned about Creation than you do the Creator.

      Report this comment

      GoodStuff  
    • Blacktooth
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:56pm

      The True God Jehovah has created all things. – Revelation 4:11
      We should respect His creations.

      Report this comment

      Blacktooth  
    • chips1
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 7:21pm

      People have been trashing the world since the beginning of time. Look at all the old junk they keep digging up in Egypt. Useless abandoned buildings and inclmpleted colliseums.

      Report this comment

      chips1  
  • nzkiwi
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:10pm

    That is truly amazing. It makes one pleased to have lived in this time.

    What saddens me is that I’m going to die one day and I’m going to miss all the great things that are going to happen afterwards.

    Report this comment

    nzkiwi  
  • drattastic
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:10pm

    Are we sure this isn’t a picture of the US taken in the future by a time traveler after 4 more years of oblameo . Probably still Bush’s fault.

    Report this comment

    drattastic  
  • qpwillie
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:09pm

    @mygunsweetness
    Hey, it’s over. He lost the nomination.

    Why did you bring him up here? Is he from Mars? That would explain a lot.

    Report this comment

    qpwillie  
  • acovenantinblood
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:59am

    It looks like a place that Kim Jong Il has ran for 5 years!

    Report this comment

    acovenantinblood  
  • James Daly
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:38am

    Muslim Community outreach to Mars?

    Report this comment

    James Daly  
  • woodyee
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:34am

    I wonder what our Earth will be like when our future Martian astronauts (should we have the wisdom to retain our way of life and we have any) return?

    Report this comment

    woodyee  
  • blackyb
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:34am

    I guess the Martians could say: Well, there goes the neighborhood.

    Report this comment

    blackyb  
    • Hollywood
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:42am

      Looks like Detroit,once the bulldozers come in to level the repo’d/deserted housing ??

      Report this comment

      Hollywood  
  • scudster
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:30am

    Obama will need apologize to the universe for the American made tire tracks and the damages and debris left behind at the landing zones.

    Report this comment

    scudster  
    • blanco5
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:39am

      Ha!

      Report this comment

      blanco5  
    • RLTW
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:00pm

      So we can send a rover to Mars, but we can’t destroy communism in our time. sad very sad

      Report this comment

      RLTW  
    • BeeDee
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 7:48pm

      Probably has his speech-writers and the ‘prompter working on it a we speak, and getting read to address the U.N. as well.

      Report this comment

      BeeDee  
  • Baddoggy
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:29am

    I sent my tax dollars to NASA and all I get are theses crummy pictures?

    What a waste of money.

    Report this comment

    Baddoggy  
    • blanco5
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:39am

      I thought NASA was de-funded after prez islama couldn’t find any muslim input?

      Report this comment

      blanco5  
    • ModerationIsBest
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:39pm

      Lol, so ignorant.

      Report this comment

      ModerationIsBest  
    • blanco5
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 2:18pm

      moderaton—-too close to the truth? You want to know what is REALLY ignorant? …. Someone who defends the WORST prez in history!!!!

      Report this comment

      blanco5  
    • RepubliCorp
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 2:33pm

      with thinking like yours we would still be living in a cave in Europe and texting would be smoke signals…….

      Report this comment

      RepubliCorp  
    • Baddoggy
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 2:51pm

      You Stupid MFers thing NASA has given us anything that would have not been discovered by the FREE MARKETS???

      Report this comment

      Baddoggy  
    • therealconservative
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 5:11pm

      @Bad

      You don’t pay your taxes, remember DEADBEAT

      Report this comment

      therealconservative  
    • Chris
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 10:15pm

      All of the “spinoffs” from NASA technology occurred in the free market.Either NASA had a requirement for some technology that they contracted with a company to provide, and that company developed and sold products based on that technology, or NASA invented the technology and a company either adopted the technology and sold their own products based on it or developed a competing product that they owned themselves.

      If NASA develops and patents a technology, companies that want to use it have to license it, and the government usually does not grant exclusive licenses. If they want to control the technology themselves they have to invent something as good or better that is different enough to allow them to patent it themselves. One of the big reasons why jet engines are as powerful and safe as they are now is because of this technology competition between the engine manufacturers and NASA,

      Report this comment

      Chris  
  • 4xeverything
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:26am

    When the rovers are finished it would be pretty neat to have NASA put together a virtual tour of the ground covered in the past decade.

    Report this comment

    4xeverything  
  • honkytonkman
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:26am

    This looks like an ideal place for all of the America hating politicians and their flocks to take up residence.

    Report this comment

    honkytonkman  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:24am

    Never thought I’d say this as I am not a space-traveler, but Mars is starting to look real good! Maybe we could send all the leftists idjits up there, as is. They’d never get off their lazy butts long enough to invent or develop anything, just whine alllllll day and night long. Listening to them make coyotes sound pleasant.

    Report this comment

    kickagrandma  
    • oneshiner
      Posted on July 8, 2012 at 12:39pm

      Pick the most despised politicians and tell them they’ve won a fabulous trip and see how many take us up on it to keep getting freebees from the dumb American people.
      That gal from S.F. will be my first choice pick, then the Nv. wanna be Mormon is 2nd.
      How about SJL Tx, and MW from Compton (watts), any more? We have room for 20

      Report this comment

      oneshiner  
  • Cloth Stews
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:24am

    Glad to see pictures of where I am from

    Report this comment

    Cloth Stews  
  • Blacktooth
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:23am

    I have mixed reactions to this.
    On one hand the experience of seeing the surface of Mars so clearly is truly spectacular.
    On the other hand I ask our Creator God to forgive us for trashing His Creation.

    Report this comment

    Blacktooth  
  • bobefann
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:21am

    Somehow, Obama will find a way to destroy this planet also

    Report this comment

    bobefann  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on July 8, 2012 at 11:20am

    This is how the US will look if obama gets 4 more years.

    Report this comment

    thegreatcarnac  
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