This is what Mars looks like from a NASA Curiosity Rover-eye view

Getting a person on Mars is proving pretty tough going, with a whole bunch of problems to overcome and an independent panel suggesting that NASA’s plans for the trip are a little flakey. It’s a pretty safe bet that, if you’re reading this now, you’re unlikely to see Mars firsthand.

That doesn’t mean you can’t get a taste of Mars remotely, of course, and with that in mind, NASA has released this wonderful 360-degree video pieced together from the Mars Curiosity Rover. Well, I say video – it’s more like an interactive photo, but it’s in YouTube, so I’ll call it a video all the same. Just press play, and then drag the image around to look around and see what Mars looks like from a Curiosity Rover-eye view.

Or rather, what it looked like. The photographs were taken on 18 December, day number 1,197 of Curiosity Rover’s trip, for those keeping track – although do bear in mind that Martian days are around 40 minutes longer than ours. The photograph is of the downwind face of Namib Dune. You can see Namib, approximately 23 feet away, and to give you an idea of scale, it’s about 16 feet tall. Still no sign of aliens, mind.

Stunning or, well, a bit dull? Let us know what you make of the view in the comments.

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