Hello everyone, welcome back to Mars and welcome back to 'ElderFox Documentaries'.
We were so happy with the response of our first 4K
Mars video, that we decided to do it again,
as there are still so many places for you to explore.
Again the images are real, taken by NASA rovers,
directly from the surface of the planet.
So sit back, relax and enjoy. There are some bonus clips at the end
which are truly mind-blowing.
This is an ultra HD video (4K)
'Cloud Computing' was used to create this video.
This image was captured over the period of several days in April of 2020 by the
'Curiosity' rover, which is still climbing mount sharp.
The strange feature is known as the 'Greenheugh Pediment'
and forms an overhanging ledge. The wider area has gained the name
'The clay bearing unit' due to the large amount of clay
found here, which tells the story of how this area was shaped by water
in the past. Towards the top of the image we can see the bottom of
'Gale crater', where 'Curiosity' started its journey in 2012.
Here we can see the informally named 'Spirit of Saint Louis crater',
named after the first solo non-stop flight over the Atlantic by Charles
Lindbergh. He named his plane the 'Spirit of Saint
Louis' to recognize the financial backing for his flight from St.
Louis residents. This image was taken by the now retired 'Opportunity' rover back
in 2015.
This area was thought to be too
hazardous for 'Curiosity' to pass. The wind-blown ripples and the steep
ground where ripples are lacking are both poor terrain for the rover to
cross. The team at NASA ended up taking a
different route for the rover which is out of the shot.
These mosaics have been stitched together by NASA and its partners
sometimes from thousands of smaller images and the black areas you may
sometimes see are where no image was taken.
We could zoom in so you don't see those areas, but then you wouldn't be seeing
Mars in true 4K. We feel that it's important to limit the
zoom to 4K quality.
A question often asked is: Who is standing on Mars to take a picture of
'Curiosity'? Although this looks like an image taken
by some sort of Martian, it is actually the result of dozens of
exposures taken by a camera on the rover's robotic arm.
The arm is then digitally removed from each image before they are stitched
together in the usual way. This provides the engineers at NASA with
a clear view of 'Curiosity', to check that it is still operating as
it should.
This image is possibly the best ever taken from Mars.
Captured by the 'Curiosity' rover in 2018 after climbing a steep martian ridge,
it is an excellent vantage point. This mosaic
contains the rover's full journey, right from where it began at the
bottom of the 'Gale crater'. In the distance is the northern rim of
the crater. The ridge 'Curiosity' is sitting on was
given the name 'Vera Rubin ridge' named after the late
american astronomer Vera Rubin, who spent her life making
astounding new discoveries and advocating for women in astronomy
and science.
This image is actually all the way back from 2006,
but processed more recently in 2012. Taken by the now retired 'Spirit' rover it
presents Mars in approximate true color. In other words, if you were to stand on
Mars, you would likely be seeing this sort of rusty environment.
The 'Spirit' rover stopped contacting NASA in 2010
after becoming trapped in a sand dune
Another panorama taken by 'Spirit' shows the rover's tire tracks as it performs a
series of maneuvers.
Traversing the martian landscape can be tough, but the rovers do have help at
hand. NASA's orbital probes can fly above the
sites and mark a safe path. In this image the 'Opportunity' rover is
actually visible. Can you spot it?
Okay, let us help. Strictly this is not 4K but we will zoom in just to spot the
little rover. Do you see it now?
This is the view of 'Victoria crater' from the ground,
taken by 'Opportunity'.
'Opportunity' covered a total distance of over 45 kilometers on the Martian
surface, and is regarded as one of NASA's most
successful missions. This image taken in 2014 is presented in
false color, to highlight the rover's tracks as it
climbed up a ridge.
'Curiosity' is also hailed as a roaring success
and is still actively climbing 'Mount Sharp'.
This photo was taken on the way to the base of the mountain.
Despite the global pandemic, the little rover continues to explore.
Some might say it is the best example of social distancing.
Also, as far as we know, Mars is the only planet to be
inhabited solely by robots.
The sometimes unfavorable terrain on Mars presents a real danger for the
rovers. Deep sand, steep climbs and rocky terrain
all provide challenges. 'Curiosity' was built with these threats in mind.
With 6 independently powered wheels, the rover is designed to withstand a
tilt of up to 45 degrees. However not wanting to take unnecessary
risks, the team at NASA programmed the rover to
avoid tilting more than 30 degrees, through its hazard avoidance software.
This image was taken in the 'Murray Buttes' region by 'Curiosity'.
The butte stands at around 16ft or roughly 5 meters.
We have now shown you all the mosaics that are possible to render in 4K
but here are some astonishing things you have to see!
From this point the footage is not 4K, but highly worth your time.
In 2015, 'Curiosity' captured this stunning true color image of a Martian sunset.
Sunsets on Mars are actually blue in color,
unlike the red ones we have here on Earth. Scientists believe that the fine
particles of the Martian atmosphere permit more blue light than here on
Earth, when the Sun is at this angle.
The bright evening star in this image is actually the planet Earth
Captured by 'Curiosity', it is the first time
that earth has been pictured from the surface of another world.
'Opportunity' spots a 'dust devil' in this image, which are really common on Mars.
They are actually beneficial to the solar powered rovers,
helping to remove dust from their solar panels.
The rovers experience boosts in power after 'dust devils' pass them.
They have been spotted from orbit several times and leave eerie tracks on
the ground.
The 'Perseverance' rover is scheduled to land in 2021.
This series of images taken by 'Curiosity' as it landed has been put together by
NASA into a small video. The landing sequence is often called
'7 minutes of terror', because it takes seven minutes for the
landing to take place, yet it takes 14 minutes for the signal
to get back to Earth. So by the time NASA receives the signal
that the craft has entered the atmosphere,
the landing has either been a success or has failed.
Click here to see how NASA lands these rovers on Mars
and what perseverance will do when it gets to Mars.
If you enjoyed this video please share it with everyone you know.
We have to get these great achievements in front of as many people as possible.