[Share]We’re on Mars: top 5 iOS apps about NASA, space, Mars and the Curiosity rover

We’re on Mars! It’s confirmed - the NASA Curiosity rover survived the 7 minutes of horror and with a lot of nails bitten on Earth, we can finally brag about having a car-sized rover on the Red Planet. It’s an event that comes in two sides - you get really excited about the advancements of the human race, and you inevitably question how much you’ve contributed to that.

Truth is, getting Curiosity on Mars was an intricate job to which contributed hundreds if not thousands of people all over the chain.

One thing you wouldn’t feel good about, though, is still remaining uninformed about NASA’s $2.5 billion mission to Mars and the wonderous Curiosity rover that’s now roaming a deep crater on another planet where it’s possible that even life could have existed. That’s what it’s there to prove actually.

So, where do you turn for learning? Your mobile devices of course. NASA is taking good care of smartphone adopters and has a couple of apps that you can not only use to inform yourself, but also show to your friends and impress them. Check them out and use the excitement to bring the message - science is cool.

1. NASA Science Mission Highlights                        Before we even get to the Mars mission (we’ll get to it!), this app should be your first stop to refresh your knowledge on NASA’s Science Mission Highlights, their different goals and what some of those discoveries mean.


[Download]

2. Spacecraft 3D
With the knowledge from the first app, you can jump right into the hot topic - the Mars landing. Or at least the most important part of it - the Curiosity rover. This amazing augmented reality 3D app lets you look at the car-sized rover in great detail, and there other vehicles for you to compare too.



[Download]

3. Mars Globe
Once you know what the Curiosity rover looks like, you should be ready for a look at the surface of the Red Planet. The high-res map is convenient and optimized to run on the iPad, what’s best - you can look where the Gale crater is. That’s the exact place where the Curiosity rover landed!




[Download]


4. ISS LiveAnother hugely interesting, but also very, very long lasting project by not only NASA and the US, but the whole world is the International Space Station. The massive construction has various sections and you can take a peek at what’s going on there and how it’s all built with this app.



[Download]

5. NASA App
                        Last but not least comes the official NASA application. This is officially the best and biggest hub for all things NASA, and with the latest update it’s prettier and more visual.



[Download]