NASA releases 'spectacularly detailed' Mars panorama

[Admin]

The US space agency NASA has pieced together a panoramic view from the camera on its Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, calling it the "next best thing to being" on the Red Planet.

The full-circle scene fuses together 817 images taken by the mast-mounted panoramic camera (Pancam) on the Opportunity over a four-month period, showing new rover tracks and an old impact crater.

The panorama - which NASA said in a release was the "next best thing to being there" - includes the rover's solar arrays and deck in the foreground.

Pancam lead scientist Jim Bell of Arizona State University, Tempe, said the images provide a "spectacularly detailed view of the largest impact crater that we've driven to yet with either rover over the course of the mission."

The panorama was stitched together from component images taken between December 21, 2011, and May 8, 2012, when Opportunity was stationed on an outcrop nicknamed Greeley Haven.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-09/nasa-releases-mars-panorama/4118484

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA15689.jpg 13mb image
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/tiff/PIA15689.tif 533mb

check out the rover's circle work

 

[Darkoz]

It always amazes me that they are actual pics from another world, incredible.

 

[Goosey]

Thinking the same thing D.

Thanks for the picture.

 

[chocchillimango]

looks great, doesn't it?

if you're interested, Curiosity is getting close to Mars right now and will be due for it's funky landing in a few weeks!

NASA - Mars Science Laboratory, the Next Mars Rover

A friend of mine wrote an article about the mission and how the landing is proposed to go...

Curiosity about life on Mars – Lucid thoughts

 

[Grippy]

Awesome pics,

can't wait for the day man lands on mars

 

[kaz]

Lol @ circle work!
Awesome pics!

 

[bigD]

Great photos; the view is amazing

 

[Goosey]

Thanks

 

[Darkoz]

looks great, doesn't it?

if you're interested, Curiosity is getting close to Mars right now and will be due for it's funky landing in a few weeks!

NASA - Mars Science Laboratory, the Next Mars Rover

A friend of mine wrote an article about the mission and how the landing is proposed to go...

Curiosity about life on Mars – Lucid thoughts

Good read thanks ChocChilli, I didn't realism that Curiosity is so large compared to the size of the previous two.