Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Map view with base dataset, clickable viewpoints are marked as droplets. (Image: HiRISE/CTX/HRSC)/Europlanet Society

Prospective Mars explorers can now take a walk around the landing site of NASA’s Perseverance rover.

An interactive map that can be accessed through a normal web browser is loaded with orbital imagery, terrain data as well as synthetic and real 3D panoramic views of Jezero crater and its surrounding area.

“The map is the perfect tool for planning a future visit to Mars, with an interactive interface where you can choose from different available base datasets,” explains Sebastian Walter of the Freie Universität Berlin. “Some of the slopes are pretty steep, so watch out for those if you want to avoid too much oxygen consumption!”

Virtual view from top of the western delta into the crater. Credit: HiRISE/CTX/HRSC/Europlanet Society

“To get a real feeling of what to expect on your future Mars trip, you can click on one of the waypoint marker symbols to enter either a full-screen 3D view or, if you have a Virtual Reality setup, to enter a fully immersive environment. You can even listen to the sounds of the rover if you stand close by, but please don’t touch it – otherwise you would contaminate the probes.”

The base layer of the map is a merged dataset derived from three different instruments currently orbiting Mars, carried by Europe’s Mars Express, and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Go to this direct link to the interactive map (wait for map to fully unfold):

https://maps.planet.fu-berlin.de/jezero

Also, for more details, go to this Europlanet Society news release – “Virtual hiking Map for Jezero Crater, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Landing Site” – at:

https://www.europlanet-society.org/virtual-hiking-map-for-jezero-crater/

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