NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Captures Incredible Panorama at 1.8 Billion Pixels and Names new Mars 2020 Rover

The most detailed views to date from Mars is here

Curiosity, NASA’s Mars rover first landed on the planet and has been there  since 2004 and has taken many images of the Martian surface. None have come close to the details the rover was able to capture and NASA released March 4th, 2020. The largest and highest resolution images ever taken by the Curiosity rover is comprised of over 1,000 individual images from the Mast Camera that spanned four days and six and a half hours of footage between November 24th and December 1st of 2019. To ensure consistent lighting the collection of images were only captured each day between 12-2 p.m. Mars time.

The main role of the Mast Camera is to take color images and video footage of surfaces and overall terrain ahead of the rover in Mars. The images are then able to be configured to create panoramas of the landscape. Which can be seen by the image NASA released  of the 1.8 billion pixel panorama. 

“While many on our team were at home enjoying turkey, Curiosity produced this feast for the eyes.

This is the first time during the mission we’ve dedicated our operations to a stereo 360-degree panorama.” 

-Ashwin Vasavada/ Curiosity’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Panoramas shows “Glen Torridon” a region near Mount Sharp where Curiosity has  been exploring. The 360 view the camera was able to obtain gives scientists a little window to another world.  Even after seven years on the Red Planet – the mission to exploring Mars has just begun.

Mars 2020 Rover has a Name!

The next rover is set to land on Mars, February 18th, 2021 and NASA has just come up with its name…. PERSEVERANCE

Beautiful Images and Getting Better with Higher Resolution

From NASA: “In 2013, Curiosity produced a 1.3-billion-pixel panorama using both Mastcam cameras; its black-and-white Navigation Cameras, or Navcams, provided images of the rover itself. Imaging specialists carefully assemble Mars panoramas by creating mosaics composed of individual pictures and blending their edges to create a seamless look.”

Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Curiosity’s Mastcam. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington and built the Navigation Cameras and the rover.

“While many on our team were at home enjoying turkey, Curiosity produced this feast for the eyes,” said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which leads the Curiosity rover mission. “This is the first time during the mission we’ve dedicated our operations to a stereo 360-degree panorama.”

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