2021-03-31

Cal Targets in 3-D! Stereoscopic Corner #2

The Mastcam-Z Stereoscopic Corner, Post #2. By Claudia Manzoni and Brian May

In this next entry of The Stereoscopic Corner, we thought we would offer a special posting about Caltargets, before we get back to the wonderful Martian rocks. We hope you’ll indulge us!

On Perseverance mission sol 23 (March 13, 2021), the Mastcam-Z team conducted a special set of tests designed to figure out the best camera pointing and focus settings to use when imaging our onboard calibration targets over the full range of standard zoom positions. Images were taken at zoom settings of 26- 34- 48- 63- 79- 100- and 110-mm focal lengths.

Inspired by this amazing zoom sequence from Sol 23 and GIFs produced by the Team, we combined and aligned those pictures into a (…hopefully…) viewable set of stereo GIF animations and still images shown below, designed for classical stereoscopic viewers, “cross-eyed” viewing with no needed equipment, or viewing with 1950’s style red/blue stereo glasses. We hope you enjoy them!

The calibration targets visible in this first stereo GIF below as Mastcam-Z zoomed in on them are mounted on the deck of the Rover and help the Mastcam-Z camera system get the colors of Mars exactly right. They were built by Mastcam-Z co-investigators in Copenhagen, Denmark. The primary target is inscribed with the motto ‘Two Worlds, One Beginning’ and seven small vignettes depicting the evolution of life on Earth. From bottom left and clockwise, they show Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars orbiting the Sun, a DNA strand, cyanobacteria symbolizing microorganisms, a fern symbolizing vegetation, a dinosaur, humans and a rocket. The secondary target is the smaller of the two and is a cross-check for the primary target. The sequence of seven zooms performed by Mastcam-Z included in this GIF, offered in parallel, cross-eyed and anaglyph stereo format, was taken on Perseverance’s Sol 23. 

We also offer here below the very first stereo view we assembled from Mastcam-Z images after landing, taken on Sol 2, in those same three stereo formats:

For further information on calibration targets for the Mastcam-Z cameras on Perseverance, check out the excellent blog by the Mastcam-Z Caltarget Team!

Enjoy! More to come! 
-Brian May and Claudia Manzoni

[see also: Introduction: Stereoscopic Corner entry #1]