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Go on a Virtual Trip to Mars

Posted by michael on from the diy dept.

Jaroslaw Zachwieja writes "The Druantia Virtual Trip to Mars Project has made access to MOLA data simplier than ever. The data is served as 16bit PNG files. A bash script and interpolation program is available to automate the retrieving process. Druantia project (still a little baby in need of developers) aims to allow anyone with decent graphic card and broadband internet connection to explore Mars and interact with other participants connected. The data served is the highest publicly available set with one pixel for approx. 460 meters and (uncompressed) takes 2GB of disk space. Meet you at Olympus Mons? :)"

29 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Retirement by pmc255 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmm, a good way to start scoping out some prime real estate for my retirement :)

    1. Re:Retirement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      dont forget your sunscreen ;)

    2. Re:Retirement by bvdbos · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Did you read the website. Currently it's snowing on Mars, though not water but CO2... When is the next mission to Mercure?

  2. Last week on BBC4: Stephen Baxter's Voyage by NZheretic · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Stephen Baxter's alternate history novel Voyage has been BBC4 radio 7th dimention play of the week.

    Baxter's alternative begins with Lee Harvey Oswald's assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy in Dallas. Although Kennedy is hit, he survives, Jacqueline Kennedy taking the fatal bullet. Kennedy's injuries, however, force him to relinquish his office to Lyndon Johnson and act as a cheerleader for the space program he began as president. The space program then continues much as in our world, including the landing of Neil Armstrong and Joe Muldoon on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Baxter's changes come slowly, as if to say the inertia of history must be taken into account. Eventually, Nixon, at Kennedy's urgings, chooses a Mars program instead of merely the shuttle program he chose in our timeline.

    It's worth listening to, but is only available for one week, the first online (realplayer) episode will be replaced by monday.

  3. Related web site: exploreMarsnow by colonist · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Mars buffs should also take a look at exploreMarsnow, although it focuses on a virtual Mars base rather than the planet Mars itself.

    1. Re:Related web site: exploreMarsnow by IPFreely · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Similar sites are MarsQuest and MarsQuest Online.

      MarsQuest includes lots of rover coverage. They have lots of Rover coverage and panorama pictures with zoom and pan and drivable rover simulations. They also have 3D drivable flyovers of several famous Mars locations.

      --
      There is nothing so silly as other peoples traditions, and nothing so sacred as our own.
  4. Don't forget... by DrXym · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... to pack a flashlight.

    1. Re:Don't forget... by krymsin01 · · Score: 4, Funny

      and a towel, of course...

      --
      stuff
    2. Re:Don't forget... by selderrr · · Score: 2, Funny

      and some duct tape ! Doom3 is frustrating as hell from that perspective.

      --
      When will I end this grieving ? When will my future begin ?
    3. Re:Don't forget... by Randy+Wang · · Score: 3, Informative

      I think he was actually referring to Douglas Adams' concept of the hitchhiker's towel, from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, forever immortalised in his writings:

      Roostar: "Hello. My name is Roostar. And this is my towel."
      Arthur Dent: "Hello, Roostar. Hello, towel."

      --
      --- Egads, I glow in the dark!
  5. Obsolescence by mirko · · Score: 5, Interesting

    10 years ago, Doom was supposed to be a virtual trip on Mars, now it looks a little old, I guess it will soon happen to be the same with this.
    Hence my question : why not making it a game rather than funding it with public money ?

    --
    Trolling using another account since 2005.
    1. Re:Obsolescence by A+Boy+and+His+Blob · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Guess I didn't pay much attention to the plot, heh. I still think Doom 1 and 2 are the best FPS' of all time. I used to be a Co-Sysop on a 4 node BBS that ran SirDoom. I haven't played any other FPS online since, and I'm 23 now. The BBS was VRBBS in Houston if anyone cares.

      Ahhh those were the good times. I should know better than to correct a low ID anyway. ;)

    2. Re:Obsolescence by jeff+munkyfaces · · Score: 2, Interesting

      1px=460m it's going to have to be some kind of giant sim (that's a simulation of being a giant rather than [as well as] being a giant simulation.)

      and also the fact i think most scientists would object to it being populated with things for you to shoot

      The only way would be to make it a driving game - which i suppose could work (would probably be pretty dull as a game though)

  6. Let's start from UnderHill by advocate_one · · Score: 2, Interesting

    and explore out from there... (If anyone's lost on the reference, read Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson)

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  7. Slashdotters, take note by Anonymous+Cowdog · · Score: 5, Interesting
    From the site, FYI:


    "PS. No need to abuse the script and leech all the data. This is publicly available information, besides we plan to leave it for the entire life of the project and possibly longer ;)"

  8. Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Map by colonist · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Maybe Druantia could also work on Kim Stanley Robinson's terraformed Mars (ie. Blue Mars).

  9. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  10. I was waiting for this moment: by dabigpaybackski · · Score: 5, Funny
    In a thick Austrian accent: "I want to go to Maars."

    But you know the weird thing is that sometimes I dream that Sharon Stone is my wife.

    --
    "OH SHIT, THERE'S A HORSE IN THE HOSPITAL!"
  11. For realism sake by ulpb · · Score: 4, Funny

    Should make it a bit more like an actual NASA exploration of mars and after you move more than 5 meters cause some sort of flash ram error and then send your computer into a week long reboot cycle.

  12. For a really cool rendering of Mars.... by centipetalforce · · Score: 3, Interesting

    http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/tgd/tgd_mars_ movie.html

  13. Why not just... by geg81 · · Score: 3, Funny

    take this virtual trip to Mars?

  14. X-Plane by Slur · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This would be a good map to convert into X-Plane format. Then you can fly over Mars in a bi-plane or an airliner, just like we'll be doing in 2120.

    --
    -- thinkyhead software and media
    1. Re:X-Plane by meringuoid · · Score: 2, Informative
      This would be a good map to convert into X-Plane format. Then you can fly over Mars in a bi-plane or an airliner, just like we'll be doing in 2120.

      Hey, that's a great idea... I'm amazed nobody's ever done it before!

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    2. Re:X-Plane by dabigpaybackski · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Hey, that's a great idea... I'm amazed nobody's ever done it before [x-plane.com]!

      As I recall, the x-plane models flew like shit, thanks to the nearly nonexistent Martian atmosphere. Now if somebody wants to do a blimp model, then that might be a more practical alternative to the white-knuckle experience of landing a fixed-wing Mars airplane at 400 mph. Inflateable craft are also likely to be the favored mount of future Martian explorers, though I would agree that doing Immelmans in a blimp just aren't that exciting.

      --
      "OH SHIT, THERE'S A HORSE IN THE HOSPITAL!"
  15. Doom (Classic Doom 1 and 2) is still going strong. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Goto www.gamers.org/pub/idgames, or
    www.doomworld.com, and you'll find people are
    still making add on levels for it.
    Not to mention the sourcecode mods (www.zdoom.org,
    to name one)

    I still play Doom on a regular basis, and is
    still doing well even after some of the fancy 3d
    games that came after it are long ago forgotten.

  16. Complete sim? "To Mars"? by MrFreshly · · Score: 2, Funny

    With the 9 months worth of between planet flight time? Sounds a bit like my "Starfield" screen saver...It'd be cooler to have a Virtual Trip ON Mars...:)

  17. Looks a lot like Worldwind.. by Myself · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This would be great as an add-on dataset for NASA's 3d Earth explorer.

    I'll be happier when I can actually visit. :)

  18. Prime space real estate already for sale! by Teechur007 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Believe it or not...real estate IS being sold in space ...damn you Tom Cruise! :) --Teechur007

  19. For Posterity - Stephen Baxter's Voyage by smoker2 · · Score: 2, Informative

    You can find all the episodes here, no time limits, free download.
    Approx 9MB each episode (5 in all)

    Voyage

    ;-)

    (Note: firefox likes to add .ram to the downloaded filename, not necessary to play).