Facebook And NASA’s New 360 Video Lets You Explore Mars With Your Smartphone

Facebook has teamed up with NASA for its latest 360 video, enabling users of the site to explore a virtual reality (VR) version of Mars using their smartphones.

The stunning 360-degree video can be viewed using the iOS and Android Facebook apps - users simply need to move the phone around to explore the VR view of the red planet, panning and rotating to watch from different angles.

The impressive composite video was created using a shots taken by the American space agency’s Curiosity Mars Rover.

The 360 video can also be viewed on desktop using most major browsers, they it won’t work or Safari or Internet Explorer. The viewing angle can be changed by dragging the cursor.

A still from 360 VR video of Mars (Facebook/NASA)

The footage was shot around the Namib Dune on Mars with the finished product being posted on Facebook’s 360 Videos page.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg commented: “This is just the beginning of what we can do with virtual reality and 360 video. Pretty amazing”.

The social network is expected to launch its Oculus VR headset to the public very soon.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS