NASA’s Mars rover sends 360-degree view of the Namib Dune

 

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has upload a 360-degree image taken by the Curiosity Mars Rover of the Namib Dune on planet Mars.

The video, published on Feb. 8, has so far been viewed over a million times as of Thursday night.

The component images were taken on Dec. 18, 2015, by the Curiosity Mars Rover’s mast camera (Mastcam). The rover’s MastCam was built by the Malin Space Science Systems.

The Curiosity Mars Rover is a car-sized robotic rover exploring Gale Crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL).

As of Thursday, the rover has been on Mars for 1,250 sols or 1,284 days since landing on the red planet on August 6, 2012.

Curiosity was launched from NASA’s Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011.

Curiosity's two-year mission was extended indefinitely.

As established by the Mars Exploration Program, the main scientific goals of the MSL mission are to help determine whether Mars could ever have supported life, as well as determining the role of water, and to study the climate and geology of Mars. The mission will also help prepare for human exploration. 

For more information about the Curiosity Mars Rover, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/.