QUESTION:
On NASA TV I saw the ability of the Virtual Reality Team programs to
generate 3D models of Mars surface by using the Stereoscopic ability of the
camera. However they pointed they had a constraint about the range of the 3D
model of about 10 or 15 meters, I presume due to difficulty to resolve any
angle changes from the pixels since the stereoscopic camera is only a few
inches apart.

However, couldn't you extend the range by a factor of 10 or so by using the
panorama pictures taken from the camera when it was low in the ground on the
first days or so from the landing?  This will increase the stereoscopic
distance of the camara from a few inches to several feet.

I realize that there would be some shadow (indeterminate) areas due to the
difference in horizon range due to height.  But still this would permit to
precisely range rocks from much farther away.

ANSWER from David Mittman on July 25, 1997:
Thanks for the question. I'm not on the AMES virtual reality team, but I can
address part of your question. Early on in the mission we realized that the
camera may not survive the deployment action due to any number of factors.
At that time we planned to take an "insurance" panorama from the low mast
position to hedge against the possibility of camera loss. Vertical stereo is
not directly usable by the rover navigation team, but teams from AMES and
the USGS both suggested that the insurance panorama would be useful in
developing terrain maps. This insurance panorama is now being received and
will be used to process "vertical stereo".