Virtual Mars a thrill indeed

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Hang gliding on Mars may seem a bit unlikely, but you can do it now.

OK, OK, virtual hang gliding. But it's still an amazing thing to do.

Background: NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, now orbiting Mars, carries a camera with very high resolution, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment.

It has been taking pictures of the same places on Mars from slightly different angles, collecting 3-D views. From these, the agency has put together video clips in which the viewer seems to be swooping and turning above Martian hills and canyons. (The clips are at www.nasa.gov under "Video Feature." They last about 30 seconds.)

I've seen artist's conceptions in video form of what it would be like to be on Mars, but NASA has the real thing. The motion of "flying" provides a feeling of reality that still photos can't begin to match. You feel the size and depth of craters and so on.

I think it's breathtaking -- especially since to my knowledge, Mars is nowhere near Washington, and nobody has ever been there. Besides, you can't hang glide on Mars. Not enough air.

In a sense, these videos are the best things to come out of the various space programs. The scientific data have been fascinating, yes. The still photos are impressive. But what I think the public mostly wants to know is, "What would it be like to be up there? Suppose you had a helicopter on Mars. Or a dirt bike.

"What would you see?" These clips begin to answer that question.

There have always been two schools of thought regarding the question, "Why bother with going to other planets?" One answer has been scientific: for data on geological structure (how the atmosphere works, whether there is water and so on).

Interesting, but dry.