RAVE Apps
marsroVR: Ares 3 to Ares 4 1.0
Explore the path from Ares 3 to Ares 4 onMarsfrom Andy Weir's "The Martian" in virtual reality!Data from HiRISE (uahirise.org) - NASA/JPL/UniversityofArizonaRendered by RAVE - Aiden Lab (rave.rice.edu)Developed by Muhammad Shamim & Marie HoegerMusic - Pale Blue Dot by StellardroneExcerpt below from article by Alfred McEwenIn “The Martian” by Andy Weir, stranded astronaut MarkWatneytravels from the Ares 3 site to the Ares 4 site where a MarsAscentVehicle could get him into Mars orbit to rejoin a spacecraftandreturn home.The Ares 4 site is on the floor of a very shallow crater inthesouthwestern corner of Schiaparelli Crater. At full resolution,wesee a pervasive, pitted texture that is characteristic of manydustdeposits on Mars. No boulders are visible, so the dust isprobablyat least a meter thick.Past Martian rovers and landers from NASA have avoidedsuchpervasively dust-covered regions for two reasons. First, thedusthas a low thermal inertia, meaning that it gets extra warm inthedaytime and extra cold at night, a thermal challenge to survivalofthe landers and rovers (and people). Second, the dust hidesthebedrock, so little is known about the bedrock compositionandwhether it is of scientific interest.There is morphologic evidence for layered rocks, andnarrowcurving structures that could be fluvial channels, so thebedrockgeology could be quite interesting, but exploring this sitewouldbe like trying to do field work when there is several feet ofsnowon the ground. Then again, maybe the dust is cemented so itiseasier to drive or walk on it, but it still hides the bedrockfromeasy access.---------------Learn more about our work at rave.rice.edu and aidenlab.orgIMPORTANT: To properly view the app, a Virtual Realityheadset(e.g. Google Cardboard, Durovis Dive, or Samsung Gear VR)should beused.
