“Panorama of Everest” Received From Mars

Surname: 1
Name
Course
Tutor
Date
Everest Panorama from Mars

The robotic rover, Spirit, which strolled around Mars between the years 2004 and 2009 went up to a hill in 2005 and took a succession of digital pictures (Ulivi & Harland, 423). These photos were taken for three days, and they were combined with digital techniques such that scientists came up with a 360-degree panorama. The rover was under instructions to take the picture with the same resolution as that of human eyesight, 20-20 eyesight. With this resolution, it makes the picture unique because if someone stood on top of the Husband Hill, that is how you would see the red planet. The above photograph is the panoramic result, and its level of detail is exceptional compared to others through the history of Martian surface photography. This panoramic photograph was taken from the peak of Husband Hill thus the reason for the nickname Everest Panorama (Nemiroff & Bonnell). This name was in recognition to Mount Everest which is the tallest mountain thereby having the tallest view on earth.
This image caught my attention since it is from Mars, and this is the most studied planet since it is presumed that it can support human life. Therefore, looking at its images, it is like seeing another world. Additionally, how this photo was taken, with a resolution same as the eyesight of a human being, so viewing the photo feels like I am in Mars enjoying the view with my naked eyes. It is this image that set the pace for Martian surface photography because after it was taken, there are other panoramic images of its sort that have been taken as well.
The image was taken on Mars, and Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system as well as the second smallest planet. It is also called the red planet due to the abundance of iron oxide on its surface thus giving it the red appearance. Additionally, Mars is terrestrial with thin atmosphere as well as surface features which remind us of the polar ice caps, deserts, and valleys on earth and impact craters of the Moon (Dehel, 43-44). There are a plethora of discoveries that scientists and space explorers have come up with during the various research on planet Mars. The top discoveries these space explorers came up with include the capability for Mars to support life after the robot called Curiosity found the building block of life such as oxygen, sulphur, carbon, hydrogen, and phosphorus. Also, Curiosity experienced radiations which exceeded the NASA’s career limit. Other discoveries include thick atmosphere with present and active methane and more water evidence from the past. Lastly, Curiosity found old streambeds from the smooth and round rocks which went downstream for miles. With their pattern, it was concluded that a steady stream of water was flowing about knee deep.
This panoramic image brought in a lot of contribution to the science community, more so to the space explorers since it gave scientists with more evidence to view and draw the necessary conclusions. The image taken by Spirit robot gave scientists a beautiful scene with an immense amount of information about the surrounding of the robot. This information and findings can enable space scientists to determine various discoveries without setting foot on Mars to reduce cost and avoid exposure to harmful radiations. For instance, from the image, there are a lot of porous volcanic rocks surrounding the robot, evidence of meteorite, sand dunes on the foot of the hill, and evidence of sulphur-rich, salty minerals on the subsurface which was dug out by the robot’s wheels.
Some scientific processes are present on Mars because there are bio-signatures; it is worth deducing that since there is life, biological processes such as excretion, respiration, and reproduction of microbes take place. Other scientific processes include the folding mechanism which led to the formation of hills and volcanoes. Also, there are chemical reactions which are evident such as the presence of methane in the atmosphere which could have come from the reaction of minerals.
What is still unknown about Mars is the source of the methane gas present in its atmosphere which is very stable. The suspense is whether this methane comes from life forms or as a result of the volcanic activities. Due to the improvement of technology, there are planned researches of the outer space and not just in Mars but also in other space bodies. This is meant to diversify the research so that scientists can find similarities and comparisons with an effort of improving our life back here and finding any necessary minerals. Some of the planned projects include sending astronauts to Mars who can bring first-hand information regarding what is out there. Other planets have also been a case study for different research, and this has led to their explorations. Planets such as Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto are under space explorations by different scientists through their robots.

Conclusion
In solar explorations, Mars holds a unique ground since it holds evidence to many planetary questions. Also, its easy accessibility allows fast and organized explorations which seek to address any question. Mars has also given scientists the opportunity to find out its habitability as well as life in the solar system. Conclusively, combining the development of missions and technology activities will promote the scientific study of Mars over the coming years. Through this, more evidence and conclusions can be drawn, and this will be helpful in discovering a new world out there.

Work Cited
Dehel, Thomas. Imminent Discovery NASA’s Phoenix and the Secret of Life on Mars. Lulu.com, 2010. Internet Resource.
Nemiroff, Robert, and Bonnell, Jerry. Everest Panorama from Mars, 2013, https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131208.html. Accessed on 26 Nov. 16.
Ulivi, Paolo, and David M. Harland. Robotic Exploration of the Solar System. Berlin: Springer, 2012. Internet Resource.

/docProps/thumbnail.wmf