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IPFS News Link • Space Travel and Exploration

Explore the Red Planet like never before: NASA releases an incredible interactive map...

• https://www.dailymail.co, By SHIVALI BEST

It's the closest planet to Earth, yet humans are still yet to venture the 34.8 million miles to Mars.  

Elon Musk recently predicted that humans will first set foot on the Red Planet in 2029, while NASA is a little more conservative with its estimated timeline, predicting a landing in the late 2030s or early 2040s. 

Thankfully, there's an easy way to explore Mars now, from the comfort of your home here on Earth. 

NASA has released a new interactive map that lets you explore Mars' many cliffsides and craters. 

'I wanted something that would be accessible to everyone,' said Jay Dickson, the image processing scientist who led the project. 'Schoolchildren can use this now. My mother, who just turned 78, can use this now. The goal is to lower the barriers for people who are interested in exploring Mars.' 

The interactive map of the Red Planet was made at Caltech using 110,000 images snapped by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. 

These images cover nearly 270 square feet (25 square metres) of surface per pixel - large enough to cover the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California if printed! 

The resulting map captures a range of stunning geological features in incredible detail, including cliffsides, impact craters and dust devil tracks.  


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