From the various peaks of mountains, to the valleys that help reveal so much about red
planet, join me as we explore brand new images from Mars via the Curiosity Rover.
I want you to imagine that you are on Mars right now.
That is after all the goal of many in the world right now.
Between NASA, Space X, and various other international agencies, there are a lot of people who are
working hard to get us to the red planet known as Mars, and in the process, create history.
Because when we do land on Mars, it'll be the first time a human has stepped foot on
another planet.
This usually would be a very harrowing task, especially since much of what another planet
its usually is unknown.
But, because of images from things like the Curiosity Rover, we have a better chance of
understanding what to expect, and with the detailed pictures it's sent us, we have a
better look at the topography, the landscape, and the materials that help make up the planet.
So that way, when the time comes, we'll know exactly what we're stepping into and what
to expect as a whole.
15.
The Curiosity Rover You might not realize just how much we owe
to the Curiosity Rover, so allow me to explain it to you and show you just how much work
this singular machine had done.
The Curiosity Rover was launched from Earth on November 26th, 2011.
Its mission was to go to Mars, take pictures, but more than that, it was to conduct, "an
investigation of the Martian climate and geology; assessment of whether the selected field site
inside Gale has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life, including
investigation of the role of water; and planetary habitability studies in preparation for human
exploration."
When it landed on Mars in August of 2012, the mission was supposed to only last for
two years, but not only did the Curiosity Rover continue to bring back good information,
it wasn't drastically affected by the Martian conditions like previous rovers.
So that mission from 2 years...to now 8.
It's STILL on the planet right now, and it's STILL bringing us high-resolution images of
Mars, and still conducting experiments on the soil and air and other parts of the planet.
Yet, and here's the irony of the whole situation, despite being on there for 8 years, it's honestly
only traveled a little over 13.5 miles!
And if you want a good hard look at just how much work and effort that the Curiosity Rover
has put in while on Mars, here is a set of pictures showcasing the effects of Mars on
the craft.
Notice how dirty the craft looks now compared to its "original form".
But that's what happens when you're digging around and roaming a barren planet full of
red dust, you're bound to get dirty.
On a personal note, doesn't he look like Wall-E now?
14.
Mount Sharp In terms of the location of where the Curiosity
Rover was posted, that would be the Gale Crater.
This was an impact site that at one time was believed to have been a key place for various
things like water and sediment.
We know that there is water on Mars, and Curiosity has even found various forms of clay via its
explorations.
But what has most scientists intrigued is that they believe that Mars was once a very
lush planet before external forces caused it to be barren.
One of the results of this was Mount Sharp, a mountain that was caused by winds in the
area of the Gale Crater pushing away various amounts of dirt and such to create a massive
mountain in the area.
One of the biggest challenges that Curiosity faces right now is trying to get up Mount
Sharp, which trust me, isn't as easy as it sounds.
13.
3D Map Of Mars While not solely a thing from the Curiosity
Rover, anytime you can make a top-down 3D map of an area, it can be very helpful in
various tasks that you are trying to achieve.
And sure enough, with the help of the Curiosity Rover and the satellites above and beyond
Mars over the years, NASA was able to make a 3D map of the area the rover is in, and
thus, create a way for them to look over the terrain that would help them go and find a
path through the crater and up to the peaks of Mount Sharp.
Another big plus of a map like this is that the 3D style of it can help determine other
places of interest for the rover to go in the future.
Whether that happens though will depend on mission parameters and other variables.
12.
Yellowknife Bay Yellowknife By was one of the areas that the
Curiosity Rover had to go through to get to Mount Sharp, and as you can see from these
pictures, various styles and compositions of rock are here in this area.
By looking at these pictures, a lot of information was able to be determined.
Including the fact that at one time, this area was indeed filled with water.
Hence the name "Yellowknife Bay".
As it explored the area, it continued to take pictures of the various other areas within
the bay, including finding more proof of former points of water.
Including a "lake".
You almost have to wonder what caused these areas to look like they do after the water
left them.
It's believed that the hole in the atmosphere (which is still there now) was the major factor
in Mars losing its water.
But to go from that to what it is now is a long process, and that's part of the reason
the Curiosity Rover continues its mission, so we can have more answers and less guesses.
11.
Parhump Hills Continuing on its journey to Mount Sharp,
the Curiosity Rover found itself looking at the base of the mountain via the Parhump Hills.
And with this came a look at places like the Kimberly Foundation.
The more pictures that were taken, the more proof was stacked about how the crater was
at one time a major place of water.
You might think it odd for NASA and others to want even MORE proof of water on Mars after
we've already gotten it, but you have it backwards.
The more proof we have, the more areas we can look for more remains of the water.
Not to mention, the more evidence we have of what Mars lost, the more details we can
connect in regards to how Mars got to how it is now.
Even today, we're finding more and more clues as to how Mars formed as a planet, and the
more we tap into its history, the more that we can better learn how to colonize it when
the time comes.
So yeah, we may be finding a lot of proof that there was water on Mars years after we
proved it, but in this case, there's no such thing as too much proof or information.
Also, when you look at these pictures of the hills and foundation, you see the scope of
the crater, and even if there was only a few feet of water within this crater, that would
still mean a LOT of water was lost over time.
10.
Garden City Heading now to a rather odd spot on the rovers
journey to Mount Sharp was the place known as Garden City.
When you take a look at these photos, it's almost as if the place is full of bones and
litter.
But in fact, it's a place that is full of various mineral deposits that winds and weaves
throughout the area.
This was an unexpected but very important stop for the rover, and thus it spent some
time in the "city" in order to get sample of the various mineral veins and send them
to geologists back on Earth.
"Why is that so important?" you might be asking.
Well, it's about long-term habitation on Mars.
While we do know much of the materials that make up the planet, the quantities and spacing
of them are still a mystery.
So, by researching where they are, we can influence where we land colonies, and where
we try and dig up materials.
If we get the right materials, it can help us survive independently on Mars without the
need for constant aim from Earth, which would be a costly endeavor.
Before we show you more pictures from Mars, be sure to like the video and subscribe to
the channel, that way you don't miss ANY of our weekly videos!
9.
Martian Sunset If you're hoping to see more aesthetic things
that rocks and dirt via the rovers time on Mars, then you're in luck.
Because during its time on the red planet, it had time to get some absolutely beautiful
shots of the Martian sunrise and sunset.
Do you notice anything interesting in this picture?
Exactly.
The Martian setting sun has a more bluish tint than anything we have here on Earth.
The reason for this is believed to be because of the atmosphere.
Mainly in regards to how there are fine particles in the atmosphere that filter out the light
in such a way that 8.
Bagnold Dunes Continuing on its journey to Mount Sharp,
the Curiosity Rover passed by the Bagnold Dunes, an area that has many scientists and
researchers curious for a variety of reasons.
One of them you can see in these photos, as you can see the rapid change of environment
from stone to sand.
And as you can tell, these dunes are tall, one of the first ones you'll see is 13 feet
in height.
Another fun fact is that these dunes were the first to be examined up close on another
world.
Which may not sound impressive given that there are plenty of dunes in our own world,
but these kind of feature is special, and many examine it to find out how the terrain
in areas like these are formed.
Another interesting thing to note is that NASA had lost a previous rover in Spirit before
because it was not careful when crossing these dunes.
They made sure this didn't happen with Curiosity.
7.
Entrance to Murray Buttes This particular picture is special because
of what it represented in terms of timing.
This was the picture that was taken on its 4th anniversary.
Meaning its fourth year on Mars.
Which is significant if you recall because Curiosity was only supposed to be on Mars
for two years.
NASA decided to celebrate by having Curiosity sing "Happy Birthday" to itself.
For real.
6.
Stimson Formation Continuing on in its journey, the rover passed
by the Stimson Formation, a massive stone structure that had been made by passing winds
that deposited sand into it.
This style of formation is known as crossbedding, and indicates timing in terms of the rise
of Mount Sharp, the dunes near it, and more.
5.
Ireson Hill Here is another structure found on the way
up Mount Sharp that got a lot of people's attention.
Ireson Hill looks like something dark and mysterious.
Especially when you consider that it is 16 feet high.
What's more, the hill is colored very differently than the other stone structures that can be
found in the area.
Curiosity took pictures of not just it, but Mars from the peak of the hill to get a good
look at the area.
4.
Ogunquit Beach A very special place that was found by the
rover was a set of dunes known as Ogunquit Beach.
What makes these particular dunes so special?
Simple, the way they're formed, and the "crests" that are within them are unique, so unique
that you will not find anything like these on Earth.
3.
Vera Rubin Ridge The highest point in its journey thus far,
Vera Rubin Ridge is another case of massive erosion and embedding of sediments.
Though it's impossible to tell at present just how each structure was formed, we do
know that some were because of wind erosion, but others don't seem to be that way based
on looks alone.
Showing that even Mars can have some weird and unknown structures.
2.
The View Of Mars At the top of the ridge, Curiosity took the
opportunity to make a beautiful panoramic shot.
Showing Mars from the height it was at, and showcasing the depth of field and the distance
it had traveled so far.
The fun is quite spectacular, and it makes you wonder what it will be like when Curiosity
reaches the top of Mount Sharp.
It hasn't reached there yet, but it will soon more than likely.
1.
A Hi-Res Panorama We've shown you a lot of pictures over the
course of this video, but now, let's show you a literal brand new one that has come
from the Curiosity Rover just days before this video was made.
This was a panorama image that was made by the Curiosity Rover taken over the course
of a "break" from late November to early December.
This Panoramic image is comprised of 1000 photos and is 1.8 BILLION pixels.
The picture itself is of the Glen Torridon, a region on the flanks of Mars' 3.4-mile-high
(5.5 kilometers) Mount Sharp that the rover has been exploring recently.
The team behind the image were very shocked at what they were seeing:
"While many on our team were at home enjoying turkey, Curiosity produced this feast for
the eyes," Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavada, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) in Pasadena, California, said in a statement Wednesday (March 4).
"This is the first time during the mission we've dedicated our operations to a stereo
360-degree panorama," he added.
Because of the very detailed nature of the photos, and the amount of pixels in them,
this panoramic special is one that can be near infinitely zoomed it so that it can be
studied.
In fact, that's why it took until now to release it, because NASA wanted to study it themselves.
Thanks for watching everyone!
What did you think of these pictures from Mars via the Curiosity Rover?
Can you believe what Mars looks like in terms of its terrain and the features that it has?
Do these images better help you believe that we will indeed land on Mars one day, or do
you think that it'll be even harder than we expect?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on
the channel!