Files

Franck Garnier 8f49bb3e1e Initial commit: project plan and roadmap

Mars Rover VR Project — 5-phase plan from panorama stitching
to immersive VR on Meta Quest 3.

Phases:
1. Image Collection & Database (complete)
2. Panorama Stitching Pipeline (in progress)
3. Equirectangular/Spherical Output
4. 3D Assets (rover model + photogrammetry terrain)
5. VR Application (Meta Quest 3)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-04-12 22:03:11 -04:00

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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	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

# 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

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