For two years, NASA scientists have been recording the path of the Curiosity Mars Rover with a Microsoft HoloLens Mixed Reality Headset and Onsight software. With this technology, all scientists have to find out where to go by looking in the right direction and crossing over.
Now the public can have similar experiences. A new website calles Access Mars allows you to explore Curiosity`s neighborhood with your desktop computer, mobile device, or virtual/augmented reality headset. While scientist can use OnSight to plan Curiosity`s path and walk freely, the public has a more limited view of Curiosity`s past attractions.
“Access Mars lets anyone with an internet connection take a tour of what scientists are experiencing”, NASA officials said in a statement. The program allows viewers to learn more about Curiosity`s mission and see places of interest.
“Users can also visit four sites that were critical to NASA`s Mars Science Laboratory mission: Curiosity`s landing site, Murray Buttes, Marias Pass and Pahrump Hills“, NASA added. “In addition, the rover`s latest position on the lower Mount Sharp will be regularly updated to reflect the current progress of the mission.
Access Mars was developed by NASA`s Jet Propulsion in collaboration with Google (Microsoft was not listed as a participant) and is just one of several efforts to create immersive experiences. You can visit the Mars Rover pages, the international Space Station and other locations with Google Expeditions, a free immersive app.
Visitors to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida in 2016 could marvel at “Destination” on Mars “walk on Mars”, which is also based on the OnSight platform.
“We were able to use Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies to bring our scientists to Mars every day,” said Victor Luo, senior project manager at JPL`s Ops Lab, which led the new collaboration. “With Access Mars, anyone in the world can ride.”
The Curiosity Mission landed in a crater on Mars in 2012 and reached its ultimate scientific destination, Mount Sharp, in 2014. The rover explores the different layers of the mountain to learn more about the conditions for habitation. Throughout the rover`s expedition, Curiosity has found evidence of water in Mars` ancient past.
Thank you very much for your visit.