Taking a virtual tour of Mars with the help of NASA’s 360-degree view apparently left a lot to be desired when the space agency released it last month.
The viewing experience was initially distorted and “disorienting,” according to TechCrunch But now, grab a handheld and watch NASA’s YouTube video below. As you turn, you will see the stitched-together images that NASA created, with the help of virtual reality.
The prominent feature within the images, taken from NASA’s Curiosity rover, is the aptly called Namib Dune, as it looks very much like the mammoth dunes of Africa’s Namib Desert. On the horizon, NASA says one can see Mount Sharp.
The site where the rover was taking pictures is northwest of Mount Sharp known as the “Bagnold Dunes.”
“Images taken from orbit indicate that dunes in the Bagnold field move as much as about 3 feet (1 meter) per Earth year,” NASA explains. “The mission’s examination of dunes in the Bagnold field, along the rover’s route up the lower slope of Mount Sharp, is the first close look at active sand dunes anywhere other than Earth.”
