Camera Used On Mars Curiosity Rover Project

[kakatiya]

[b] [size=4]MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY (MSL) MAST CAMERA (MASTCAM)[/size][/b]

[size=4][url="http://www.msss.com/images/science/mastcat30big_cb.jpg"][img]http://www.msss.com/images/science/mastcat30sm_cb.jpg[/img][/url] [url="http://www.msss.com/images/science/mastcam100_cb.jpg"][img]http://www.msss.com/images/science/mastcam100_sm_cb.jpg[/img][/url][/size][color=#2B2B2B][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3][background=rgb(0, 0, 0)]
[size=4]The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mast Camera (Mastcam) system will obtain color, multispectral color, stereo, and high definition video views of the terrain explored by MSL. At the left is the Mastcam 34 mm fixed focal length camera head; at the right is the Mastcam 100 mm fixed focal length camera head. In 2010, MSSS also developed a pair of Mastcams with zoom lens capabilities, b[/size][/background][/size][/font][/color]
[size=4][url="http://www.msss.com/images/news/fullcompf1flat2.jpg"][img]http://www.msss.com/images/news/fullcompf1flat2.jpg[/img][/url][/size]

[size=4][b]Figure 1[/b]. A composite of images taken at six different focal lengths with the Mastcam zoom during initial testing of the flight 1 unit in the optics test lab at MSSS. The range shown here is from fairly wide angle to short telephoto. These images were taken with the unit pointed at the ceiling, because the front element was only being held in by gravity. The light/dark circular edge in the images is the edge of a circular mirror that is allowing the instrument to view a test target on the other side of the lab. Figure credit: Malin Space Science Systems.[/size] [color=#2B2B2B][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3][background=rgb(0, 0, 0)]
[size=4]"We originally understood the optics had to be aligned to very tight tolerances to meet our performance targets," said Mike Ravine, the Mastcam project manager at MSSS. "And we met or exceeded those tolerances, despite the many challenges we encountered over the last year." But subsequent optical analysis of images taken with the zooms showed that minor changes to some dimensions would be required to reach the full potential of the systems, largely due to unexpected and extremely small variations in piece-part fabrication. "At the end of the day there just wasn't enough time to disassemble the units, make the changes, put them back together, and get the instruments to JPL in time."[/size][/background][/size][/font][/color][color=#2B2B2B][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3][background=rgb(0, 0, 0)]
[size=4]There were also problems encountered with the instrument's mechanisms, which are driven by small stepper motors and have to work over the extreme temperature ranges expected on the martian surface. But by mid-March, those issues had been resolved, and the LTU had successfully completed two Mars years of simulated operations.[/size][/background][/size][/font][/color][color=#2B2B2B][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3][background=rgb(0, 0, 0)]
[size=4]While the loss of the zooms is disappointing, the fixed-focal Mastcams performed well during rover System Thermal Test. Figure 2 shows the fixed-focal length Mastcams at the top of remote sensing mast on Curiosity. "Although we are very disappointed that the zoom cameras will not fly, we expect the fixed focal length cameras to achieve all of the primary science objectives of the Mastcam investigation," said Principal Investigator Michael Malin.[/size][/background][/size][/font][/color]
[size=4][url="http://www.msss.com/images/news/PIA13807_tilt-table-100915.jpg"][img]http://www.msss.com/images/news/PIA13807_tilt-table-100915.jpg[/img][/url][/size]

[size=4][b]Figure 2[/b]. The Fixed Focal Length Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has two rectangular "eyes" near the top of the rover's remote sensing mast. The mast is on the right side of the rover, which puts it on the left side of this image taken from in front of the rover. The image shows Curiosity on a tilt table in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. It was taken Sept. 15, 2010. The lens openings for the two cameras of the Mastcam instrument are different sizes. The smaller one is for the telephoto eye, which has a focal length of 100 millimeters (see http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13018). The larger one is for the wider-angle eye, with a focal length of 34 millimeters (see http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13019).[/size] [color=#2B2B2B][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3][background=rgb(0, 0, 0)]
[size=4]MSSS will continue to pursue the development of these zoom systems, both to prove out the design and to make the hardware available for possible use on future missions. "While Curiosity won't benefit from the 3D motion imaging that the zooms enable, I'm certain that this technology will play an important role in future missions," said Mastcam Co-Investigator James Cameron. "In the meantime, we're certainly going to make the most of our cameras that are working so well on Curiosity rigut [url="http://www.msss.com/news/index.php?id=22"]NASA halted work on these cameras in March 2011[/url].[/size][/background][/size][/font][/color]

[mustang302]

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[Terminator II]

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[Antaraatma]

[dennis]

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[Darling999]

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[kakatiya]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/GZUt9.png[/img]

[andhraajay]

[quote name='kakatiya' timestamp='1344284730' post='1302266288']
[img]http://i.imgur.com/GZUt9.png[/img]
[/quote]
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[Gachibowli_Diwakar]

[whosdadnolisten]

[quote name='kakatiya' timestamp='1344284730' post='1302266288']
[img]http://i.imgur.com/GZUt9.png[/img]
[/quote]
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[king420]

[quote name='kakatiya' timestamp='1344284730' post='1302266288']
[img]http://i.imgur.com/GZUt9.png[/img]
[/quote]

[Terminator II]

[quote name='kakatiya' timestamp='1344284730' post='1302266288']
[img]http://i.imgur.com/GZUt9.png[/img]
[/quote]

[badboy7]

[quote name='kakatiya' timestamp='1344284730' post='1302266288']
[img]http://i.imgur.com/GZUt9.png[/img]
[/quote]

[Terminator II]

[quote name='HAPPYNESS' timestamp='1344289215' post='1302266918']

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