# Mars Rover — Immersive VR Experience

Explore Mars through the eyes of NASA's rovers in virtual reality.

This project creates immersive VR experiences from real Mars rover data: 360° panoramas, 3D rover models, and photogrammetric terrain, viewable on Meta Quest 3.

## Project Repositories

| Repository | Purpose | Status |
|-----------|---------|--------|
| [mars-panorama-pipeline](https://git.dupre-garnier.ca/git_admin/mars-panorama-pipeline) | Automated panorama stitching (Docker + Hugin) | Active |
| mars-rover (this repo) | Project documentation, planning, VR app | Active |

## Architecture

```
Mars Rover Data (NASA API)
    |
    v
[Phase 1] Image Collection & Database
    |  - NASA Mars Rover Photos API (Perseverance, Curiosity)
    |  - MySQL database (photos metadata, mast_az/el positioning)
    |  - Automated weekly collection (cron)
    |
    v
[Phase 2] Panorama Stitching Pipeline  -->  mars-panorama-pipeline repo
    |  - Docker container (Hugin CLI + Python + OpenCV)
    |  - CLAHE preprocessing for feature matching
    |  - Incremental assembly for large panoramas (80+ images)
    |  - NavCam (enblend) + Mastcam-Z (verdandi) blending
    |
    v
[Phase 3] Equirectangular Projection
    |  - 360° spherical panorama output
    |  - HDR processing for VR
    |  - Multiple resolution tiers
    |
    v
[Phase 4] 3D Assets
    |  - Rover 3D model (GLB format, NASA CAD data)
    |  - Photogrammetric terrain mesh (Meshroom)
    |  - Texture mapping from rover images
    |
    v
[Phase 5] VR Application
    - Meta Quest 3 native app (Android/OpenXR)
    - Spherical environment from panorama
    - 3D rover model at scene center
    - Photogrammetric terrain for near-field
    - Free movement around rover
```

## Data Sources

| Source | Type | Volume |
|--------|------|--------|
| NASA Mars Rover Photos API | Images + metadata | 818K+ Curiosity, 365K+ Perseverance |
| NASA PDS (Planetary Data System) | Raw science data + XML | ~807 GB |
| NASA 3D Models | Rover GLB/USDZ | 12 MB (Perseverance) |

## Infrastructure

| Machine | Role | Specs |
|---------|------|-------|
| Homelab (192.168.1.42) | Database, Docker, NAS, Git | i7-6700T, 32GB, Debian 13 |
| AstroLab (192.168.1.250) | GPU processing, VR dev, Hugin UI | Ryzen 7 7735HS, 29GB, Win11 |
| NAS (/mnt/astro) | Image storage | 4 TB USB |

## Quick Start

```bash
# Clone
git clone https://git.dupre-garnier.ca/git_admin/mars-rover.git

# Generate a panorama (Docker)
docker run --rm \
  -v /mnt/astro/mars_rovers:/data \
  -v /mnt/astro/mars_rovers/images/panorama/perseverance:/output \
  mars-panorama-pipeline \
  --sol 1813 --camera NAVCAM_LEFT
```