Step onto Mars with new 360 degree video from NASA’s Curiosity rover

[Image via NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Curiosity rover]

Ever wondered what it would be like to walk on the Red Planet? A new clip released by NASA this week shows something along those lines.

The video, produced by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, shows a 360-degree perspective from the camera of its Curiosity rover. It was shot on the downward face of the ‘Namid Dune’ on Mars.

According to the video’s description, the image was created by combining photos taken Dec. 18, 2015 by the rover’s Mast Camera on the Curiosity rover on 1,197th day on Mars.

Here’s how to operate the clip: left-click anywhere on it and drag the mouse to control the direction it moves. This gives you the full 360 experience.

Those on mobile with a fairly recent smart device can hold their phone in the air and move around in your spot to get the same effect.

Anyone with a VR device can also view the video on their devices for an even more immersive experience.

This is the closest you’ll ever get to hanging with Matt Damon and cultivating potatoes on Mars (which, yes, is possible!). As you pan the video, you can see vast dunes and the harsh rock formations of the Martian surface.

The clip was released about a week after Curiosity beamed over an epic selfie while in the Namid Dune.