If you own a pair of red-cyan glasses, you now watch NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter perform one of its flights in 3D. NASA released the video edited into an anaglyph, meaning it is a stereoscopic video where the same series of frames were reprojected and superimposed in two layers, one in red and one in cyan color, for use with color-filtered glasses.
NASA released the new 3D version of the video on Wednesday, explaining that the video shows Ingenuity’s third flight on Mars — the one that was captured by Perseverance rover, giving the public the opportunity to watch this historic achievement. The content was captured using the rover’s Mastcam-Z, which features two zoomable cameras.
The capture involved snapping a bunch of images of the flight sequence, which were then assembled together as frames in a video. NASA explains that JPL imaging scientist Justin Maki worked with a team that stitched the images and reprojected them for viewing as an anaglyph. The red-cyan glasses needed to view the video in 3D can be purchased online or easily made if you have the right supplies.
Talking about the effort, Maki said:
The Mastcam-Z video capability was inherited from the Mars Science Laboratory MARDI (MArs Descent Imager) camera. To be reusing this capability on a new mission by acquiring 3D video of a helicopter flying above the surface of Mars is just spectacular … A helicopter flying on Mars opens a new era for Mars exploration. It’s a great demonstration of a new technology for exploration. With each flight we open up more possibilities.