By 
February 8th, 2016
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
The folks at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are offering your own controllable view of a full-circle panorama beside “Namib Dune” on Mars. The Curiosity mission’s examination of dunes in the Bagnold field, along the rover’s route up the lower slope of Mount Sharp, is the first close look at active sand dunes anywhere other than Earth.
The Curiosity rover-provided view shows the downwind face of Namib Dune on Mars that covers 360 degrees, including a portion of Mount Sharp on the horizon.
The site is part of the dark-sand “Bagnold Dunes” field along the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp.
The component images of the scene were taken on Dec. 18, 2015 by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on the robot.
The bottom of the dune nearest the rover is about 23 feet (7 meters) from the camera. This downwind face of the dune rises at an inclination of about 28 degrees to a height of about 16 feet (5 meters) above the base. The center of the scene is toward the east; both ends are toward the west.
A color adjustment has been made approximating a white balance, so that rocks and sand appear approximately as they would appear under Earth’s sunlit sky.
The mission’s examination of dunes in the Bagnold field, along the rover’s route up the lower slope of Mount Sharp, is the first close look at active sand dunes anywhere other than Earth.
Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the rover’s Mastcam.
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