US space agency NASA on February 25 shared a magnificent panoramic photo of Mars taken from its Perseverance Rover that landed on the red planet recently.
The panorama shows the rim of the Jezero Crater where the rover touched down last week and the cliff face of an ancient river delta in the distance. The panorama was stitched together on Earth from 142 individual images taken on Sol 3, which is the third Martian day of the mission.
"I’m taking it all in. This is the first 360º view of my home using Mastcam-Z. This dual, high-definition camera system sits atop my mast and has zoom capability," NASA wrote while sharing the photo on Twitter.
The rover's navigation cameras or Navcams captured a 360-degree view on February 20 using the Mastcam-Z, which according to NASA's website, is "a dual-camera system equipped with a zoom function, allowing the cameras to zoom in, focus, and take high-definition video, as well as panoramic color and 3D images of the Martian surface. With this capability, the robotic astrobiologist can provide a detailed examination of both close and distant objects."
"We’re nestled right in a sweet spot, where you can see different features similar in many ways to features found by Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity at their landing sites," said Jim Bell of Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, the instrument’s principal investigator.
According to NASA, the cameras will help scientists assess the geologic history and atmospheric conditions of Jezero Crater and will assist in identifying rocks and sediment worthy of a closer look by the rover’s other instruments. Additionally, the cameras also will help the mission team determine which rocks the rover should sample and collect for eventual return to Earth in the future.
On Monday, the US space agency released the first audio from Mars, a faint crackling recording of a gust of wind captured by the rover's microphone. The Perseverance rover is on a mission to search for signs of ancient microbial life on the Red Planet.
