autoevolution 13 May 2021, 8:31 UTC ·
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When NASA s Ingenuity helicopter took to the skies for its third flight on April 25th, the Perseverance rover was right there to catch the little fella s historic moment. Now, the agency has rendered the flight in 3D to enjoy the event as if we were there ourselves on Martian soil, right next to the rover. 1 photo
Located on the rover s head, the zoomable dual-camera Mastcam-Z imager provided the view. Even if NASA already published a 2D video of this same flight, the 3D effect adds a dramatic depth to it as the rotorcraft takes to the sky, hovers, and zips off-screen before returning to the Wright Brothers Field landing spot. On April 25th, Ingenuity climbed up to 16 feet (5 meters), then it headed downrange 164 feet (50 meters), reaching a top speed of 6.6 feet per second (2 meters per second).
NASA’s Perseverance Drives on Mars’ Terrain for First Time
NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover performed its first drive on Mars March 4, covering 21.3 feet (6.5 meters) across the Martian landscape. The drive served as a mobility test that marks just one of many milestones as team members check out and calibrate every system, subsystem, and instrument on Perseverance. Once the rover begins pursuing its science goals, regular commutes extending 656 feet (200 meters) or more are expected.
“When it comes to wheeled vehicles on other planets, there are few first-time events that measure up in significance to that of the first drive,” said Anais Zarifian, Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mobility test bed engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “This was our first chance to ‘kick the tires’ and take Perseverance out for a spin. The rover’s six-wheel drive responded superbly. We are now confident our drive system is good to go, capable of ta
New 3D video gives sensation of standing on Mars (Photo via NASA/YouTube)
If you thought watching NASA s Ingenuity Helicopter fly across the Martian sky last month was exciting, you re in for a real treat.
Engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration rendered the historic third flight in 3D, lending what the agency called dramatic depth to the short trip as the chopper lifts into the air, zips off screen, and returns moments later for landing.
The zoomable dual-camera Mastcam-Z imager, located on the Perseverance rover s mast, provides the amber view you see in NASA s videos (as well as key data to help engineers navigate and scientists choose interesting rocks to study). Frames of the original film, stitched together by Jet Propulsion Laboratory imaging scientist Justin Maki & Co., were reprojected to optimize viewing in an anaglyph an image seen in 3D when viewed through color-filtered glasses.
May 12, 2021
After the zoomable dual-camera Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover captured the third flight of the agency’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter on April 25, 2021, Justin Maki, an imaging scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, led the team that stitched the images into a video. The frames of the video were then reprojected to optimize viewing in an anaglyph, or an image seen in 3D when viewed with color-filtered glasses.
Arizona State University in Tempe leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.
A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).
Seeing NASA s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Fly in 3D
Ingenuity Flies in 3D: After the Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover captured Ingenuity’s third flight on April 25, the frames of the video that was stitched together were then reprojected to optimize viewing in an anaglyph, or an image seen in 3D when seen through color-filtered glasses. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS. Download video ›
A new video of the helicopter’s third flight gives viewers the sensation of standing on the Red Planet and seeing the action firsthand.
When NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took to the Martian skies on its third flight on April 25, the agency’s Perseverance rover was there to capture the historic moment. Now NASA engineers have rendered the flight in 3D, lending dramatic depth to the flight as the helicopter ascends, hovers, then zooms laterally off-screen before returning for a pinpoint landing. Seeing the sequence is a bit like standing on the Martian surface next to