MERalizer
Mars Exploration Rover mission Visualizer
Version 1.0
Copyright © 2005 by Jeroen Lapre'. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents
  1. Installation
  2. Introduction
  3. Inspiration
  4. Startup Screen
  5. Gusev Crater View
  6. Time Slider
  7. Locale Views
  8. Close, Medium and Wide Rover Views
  9. Compass
  10. 3D View Controls
  11. Science Instrument Buttons
  12. Instrument Function and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
  13. 3D Science Data Views
  14. Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer View
  15. Pan Cam View
  16. Microscopic Imager View
  17. Mössbauer Spectrometer View
  18. Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer View
  19. Next and Previous Event Buttons
  20. Instrument Info Buttons
  21. Instrument Information HTML Window
  22. The Instrument Info Tab
  23. The Science Event Info Tab
  24. Software Technology
  25. System Requirements
Installation

1. MAC OS X 10.3.7+

To install MERalizer on an Apple computer running OS X:

Drag and drop MERalizer folder from CD to /Applications directory.

II. RUNNING MERALIZER

To Launch application:
In the Finder, open the /Applications/MERalizer folder.
Double click on the MERalizerOSX.command icon.

III. CUSTOM LOCATION INSTALLATION

If you need to have the MERalizer folder in a location other than in the /Application folder:

Edit the MERalizerOSX.command file in a text editor.
Change the part of the line that starts with:
java -Xmx400000000 -cp /Applications/MERalizer

to

java -Xmx400000000 -cp /YourCustomPath/MERalizer

Where YourCustomPath is where you dragged the MERalizer folder to.

i.e.

java -Xmx400000000 -cp /YourCustomPath/MERalizer/classes:/System/Library/Java/Extensions/j3dcore.jar:/System/Library/Java/Extensions/j3duils.jar:/System/Library/Java/Extensions/vecmath.jar:. MarsJ3Dapp

The above should all be on one line, which YourCustomPath changed appropriately.

Then save out the file. Double click the MERalizer.command icon in it's custom location, and it should launch.

Introduction

The MERalizer software is a 3D interactive visualization of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission rovers on the Martian surface. This is achieved through real time 3D computer graphics based on actual science data from the mission. A time slider shows the rovers position on the surface on a particular Martian Day or "Sol". Science data received from Mars is displayed for each instrument in a contextually intuitive manner. The MERalizer is designed to be use to use for the general public as well as the space science enthusiast.

Inspiration

The 3D user interface of MERalizer is inspired by the WorldBoard concept. i.e. attaching information to a point in space and time. In MERalizer, the visual results of each science experiment is attached to the point on the Martian surface and the time it occurred.

Startup Screen
When you launch MERalizer, the first thing you will see is a screen with various controls and a 3D view of Mars from orbit. Most of the buttons are disabled in this mode. Click on the orbit left and orbit right buttons to orbit around Mars a few degrees towards each landing site.

The main options you have in this screen is to click on one of the Rover landing sites, Meridiani (Opportunity rover), or Gusev Crater, where the Spirit rover landed.

Gusev Crater View
After clicking on the Gusev Crater button, the 3D view will change to a close up of the Spirit rover at Gusev Crater. If the time slider is at Sol 0, then the rover will be on the opened lander. Most of the buttons will become enabled in these views.


Time Slider
The Time slider represents the MER mission time line in Martian Days or "Sols". Press the play button to see the rover traverse along it's path. Pressing the red stop button stops the animation. Drag the time line control to "scrub" through the Sols. You will see the rover move back and forth along it's path accordingly.


Locale Views
Below the main 3D view, there are three View buttons: Meridiani, Gusev Crater, and Mars.
Clicking on each button will switch your 3D view to the corresponding locale.


Gusev Crater/Spirit Rover View
Pressing the Gusev Crater View button changes the view to the Gusev Crater Locale.

If the time slider is at Sol 0 (Martian Day 0), then the rover will be on the opened lander.

Pressing the MeridianiView button changes the view to the Meridiani locale.


Close, Medium and Wide Rover Views
Click on the Close, Medium or Wide buttons to quickly change your viewing distance from the rover.


Close view


Medium view


Wide view


Compass
When you toggle the Compass radio button on, the compass bearings North, South, East and West are displayed. These compass bearings travel with the rover so you can always see which way the rover is heading. Toggling the Compass button off turns the compass display off.


3D View Controls
A series of graphic buttons down the right side allow control of the 3D view of the Rover in an intuitive manner.
Orbit Up Orbit Up orbits the view vertically up around the rover. Orbit Down - orbits the view vertically down around the rover.
Move In - moves the view towards the rover. Move Out - moves the view away from the rover.
Orbit Anticlockwise - orbit anticlockwise around the rover.
 Orbit Clockwise - orbit clockwise around the rover.

Science Instrument Buttons
Each science instrument on the rover is represented by graphical buttons.


Instrument Function and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
When the user rolls the mouse pointer over each icon, the image changes to a graphical explanation of that instrument's function.

Across the bottom of each image shows which part of the electromagnetic spectrum that instrument can "see".
Note that they are arranged from the infrared on the left, through the visible to the ultraviolet on the right.
When the user presses the button, it toggles on or off the corresponding science data in the main 3D view.

3D Science Data Views
Press a Science Instrument button to toggle it on and off. The 3D view angle changes accordingly to accommodate the science data.

Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer View
Pressing the Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer button will:
  1. Move the time slider to the nearest sol where a mini-tes recording was performed.
  2. Add a large cylinder to the 3D view with the mini-tes data mapped onto it as a texture. The view will change to a wide angle so that you can see the panorama.
Use the orbit clockwise/anticlockwise buttons to see the whole panorama.


Pan Cam View
Pressing the Pan Cam button will move the time slider to the nearest sol where a pan cam recording was performed, and add a large cylinder to the 3D view with the pancam image mapped onto it. The view will change to a wide angle so that you can see the panorama.
Use the orbit clockwise/anticlockwise buttons to see the whole panorama.


Microscopic Imager View
Pressing the Microscopic Imager button will move the time slider to the nearest sol where a Microscopic Image was taken, and add a rectangle to the 3D view with the microimage mapped onto it. The view will zoom in to a close angle so that you can see the microimage to scale.


Mössbauer Spectrometer View
Pressing the Mössbauer Spectrometer button will move the time slider to the nearest sol where a Mössbauer Spectrum was taken, and add a rectangle to the 3D view with the spectrum mapped onto it. The view will zoom in to a close angle so that you can see the spectrum.


Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer View
Pressing the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer button will move the time slider to the nearest sol where an Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrum was taken, and add a rectangle to the 3D view with the spectrum mapped onto it. The view will zoom in to a close angle so that you can see the spectrum.


Next and Previous Event Buttons
When a science instrument is on, the next and previous buttons for that instrument become enabled.
Pressing on the next event button (the arrow pointing to the right with an "E") the time slider will jump to the next nearest day that an event occurred for that instrument. The previous event button jumps to the nearest previous event.


Instrument Info Buttons
Below each scientific instrument button, is a corresponding info button. Pressing on each button will display more information about that particular instrument in an html window.


Instrument Information HTML Window
Pressing the Info button under an instrument button will bring up this Instrument Information HTML window.
Press the Close button in the upper left hand corner to make the Instrument Information window to go away.
There are two Tabs in the Instrument Information Window: the Science Event Info and the Instrument Info Tab.

The Instrument Info Tab
The instrument Info tab contains information about  the currently selected instrument.
 

The Science Event Info Tab
Pressing on the Science Event Info tab will show more information about the currently activate Science Instrument event.


Software Technology
MERalizer version 1.0 is written in Java 1.4.1, using the OpenGL version of Java3D API.

System Requirements