Doing even more to let people explore Mars with the Perseverance rover, NASA has released a new tool that lets users view the Mars surface and the rover in 3D. Until recent years, Mars surface photos have been somewhat limited, if only because the Curiosity rover is the lone mobile gadget on the planet. With these new tools, it looks like Perseverance has changed the game in a very positive way.

Back at the beginning of August, NASA released a tool that allowed Mars enthusiasts to follow the path of the Perseverance rover and Mars helicopter. While the map was only a 2D representation, it provided a lot of interesting information. Users could see when and where certain missions were completed and milestones that had been achieved by the duo looking for signs of life on the planet.

Related: Mars Rocks Reveal A Possible Life-Supporting Habitable Environment, NASA Says

To add to the Mars experience toolbag, NASA has developed a 3D viewing experience called "Explore with Perseverance" where users can view Mars's surface alongside the Perseverance. Using beautiful images taken by the rover, NASA has stitched together a 3D model of Mars's surface, reminiscent of Google's Street View. Users can pan and tilt the camera to examine both the rover and the surface in surprisingly crisp detail. With a click, they can also see more images of the surface taken by the HiRise camera onboard the rover. At the top right-hand corner, certain SOL timeframes can be selected, bringing the viewer back in time to missions like the first rock sample taken or even the Mars helicopter demo area.

Other Features And Updates

When a user clicks on the surface, images will pop up on the left of the screen. Those images all pertain to whatever the user identified in the 3D view. If a HiRise photo is selected from the left sidebar, the user will also be able to see exactly where they clicked marked by a yellow flag in the photos. For instance, if a user clicks a part of a rock that interests them, photos will pop up that have that rock in them. Those images will show exactly where on that rock they clicked. This is extremely useful for examing the surface in careful detail.

NASA believes this tool is the best recreation of the Mars surface to date, and rightfully so. The team also plans on continuously updating the 3D representation as the rover continues exploring the surface, much as they have with the 2D map of Perseverance's path. This is certainly an exciting new tool developed by NASA that is sure to get people excited about the Red Planet even more.

Next: Perseverance Just Sealed Its Mars Rock Sample, Here's What Happens Next

Source: NASA