NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover got its first high-definition look around its new home in Jezero Crater on February 21, after rotating its mast, or “head,” 360 degrees, allowing the rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument to capture its first panorama after touching down on the Red Planet on Feb 18. The panorama was stitched together on Earth from 142 individual images taken on Sol 3, the third Martian day of the mission (February 21, 2021). Check out this incredible video to see footage of the flight captured by the Insta360 ONE X2 action camera attached to the balloon.This is the first 360-degree panorama taken by Mastcam-Z, a zoomable pair of cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. They excitedly launched this Space Balloon, which sailed up into the atmosphere over 80,000 feet. The camera was attached to a weather balloon created by primary school students in England. This 360-degree view of our planet was taken in celebration of Earth Day. By using these hands-on experiences, Hi-Impact is hopeful that the students will gain a better understanding of their world and an increased appreciation for what they need to do to protect it. During this flight, for instance, the Insta360 was exposed to -49 degrees Fahrenheit. The camera not only gave them a beautiful gift in the form of media footage but it was also selected because it is able to withstand extreme temperatures.

“The 360-degree camera gives Hi-Impact the ability to see everything that goes on during the flight-from the excited faces at takeoff, through the rain as it passes into the clouds, and eventually the blackness of the sky and the burst of the balloon before drifting back down aided by a parachute,” shared Simon Sloan, Hi-Impact's Innovation Manager. And the footage on the camera didn't disappoint.

Thanks to the multiple trackers that Hi-Impact placed on the payload, everything was collected so that the students could enjoy the fruits of their labor. The balloon and camera spent two hours in flight before coming back to Earth about 125 miles from the launch site in Wales. After working together for a week to create the space balloon, the students were able to see how their creation performed.

Earth 360 degree view