Open AccessMars Exploration Rover Engineering Cameras
Author(s) -
Maki J. N.,
Bell J. F.,
Herkenhoff K. E.,
Squyres S. W.,
Kiely A.,
Klimesh M.,
Schwochert M.,
Litwin T.,
Willson R.,
Johnson A.,
Maimone M.,
Baumgartner E.,
Collins A.,
Wadsworth M.,
Elliot S. T.,
Dingizian A.,
Brown D.,
Hagerott E. C.,
Scherr L.,
Deen R.,
Alexander D.,
Lorre J.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: planets
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2003je002077
Subject(s) - pixel , mars exploration program , martian surface , remote sensing , geology , stereo imaging , field of view , computer science , image resolution , angular resolution (graph drawing) , martian , artificial intelligence , computer vision , physics , astronomy , mathematics , combinatorics
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Mission will place a total of 20 cameras (10 per rover) onto the surface of Mars in early 2004. Fourteen of the 20 cameras are designated as engineering cameras and will support the operation of the vehicles on the Martian surface. Images returned from the engineering cameras will also be of significant importance to the scientific community for investigative studies of rock and soil morphology. The Navigation cameras (Navcams, two per rover) are a mast‐mounted stereo pair each with a 45° square field of view (FOV) and an angular resolution of 0.82 milliradians per pixel (mrad/pixel). The Hazard Avoidance cameras (Hazcams, four per rover) are a body‐mounted, front‐ and rear‐facing set of stereo pairs, each with a 124° square FOV and an angular resolution of 2.1 mrad/pixel. The Descent camera (one per rover), mounted to the lander, has a 45° square FOV and will return images with spatial resolutions of ∼4 m/pixel. All of the engineering cameras utilize broadband visible filters and 1024 × 1024 pixel detectors.