Ever wondered what it would feel like to inhabit a planet other than Earth. It still seems like an idea of the far fetched future, but what if we tell you that you can visit Mars? You might be thinking that we are crazy, saying such a thing, but what if we tell you that you can experience Mars right from your home with the help of your computer? Google has launched this program in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It has been possible due to the data sent by The Curiosity Rover. It was sent to Mars in 2011 to study if any form of life can exist in the Martian environment. 

Curiosity And Its Journey

On 28th November 2011, Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral. Nearly nine months and a 350 million mile journey later, the rover landed on Aeolis Palos plain inside the Gale Crater of Mars on 5th August 2012. The goal of the rover was to investigate the climate and topology of the Martian environment. One of its main goals was to investigate the possibility of water present on the surface and look for any potential trace of life. The data provided would be used to determine if it is suitable for human exploration. In December 2012, the mission was planned for two years and got extended indefinitely. 

Curiosity landed successfully and began examining the soil and other aspects. It later moved on and arrived at Pahrump Hills in September 2014. While examining this area, scientists analyzed the formation of sedimentary rocks. This could have been due to water and believed it to be the bottom of the lake billions of years ago. The elements found in this area suggested that the Martian environment was capable of supporting life over time. It then travelled to Marias Hills, where further examining showed samples of Silica. Also, it made its way to the Murray Buttes which was named after the late Bruce Murray, Director of NASA’s Jet propulsion laboratory. However, it served as a passage to its primary objective, which was Mount Sharp. 

Explore Mars from Home


With the help of 3D simulations, all these areas were recreated using the mosaics captured by Curiosity. Using its left and right Navcam and Mastcam, it captured mosaics that got combined to form a stereo match Scientists used these mosaics to create a 3D mapping of the Martian surface.

Explore the mind-blowing Mars Surface yourself:

More Resources:

Check out the code and the idea that went behind making this simulation a reality.
Google Creative Lab – Access Mars 

Do you know? You can start learning ‘how to code’ from as early as 6 years of age?

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