The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mast cameras and Descent imager: Investigation and instrument descriptions

Abstract

The Mars Science Laboratory Mast camera and Descent Imager investigations were designed, built, and operated by Malin Space Science Systems of San Diego, CA. They share common electronics and focal plane designs but have different optics. There are two Mastcams of dissimilar focal length. The Mastcam‐34 has an f/8, 34 mm focal length lens, and the M‐100 an f/10, 100 mm focal length lens. The M‐34 field of view is about 20° × 15° with an instantaneous field of view (IFOV) of 218 μrad; the M‐100 field of view (FOV) is 6.8° × 5.1° with an IFOV of 74 μrad. The M‐34 can focus from 0.5 m to infinity, and the M‐100 from ~1.6 m to infinity. All three cameras can acquire color images through a Bayer color filter array, and the Mastcams can also acquire images through seven science filters. Images are ≤1600 pixels wide by 1200 pixels tall. The Mastcams, mounted on the ~2 m tall Remote Sensing Mast, have a 360° azimuth and ~180° elevation field of regard. Mars Descent Imager is fixed‐mounted to the bottom left front side of the rover at ~66 cm above the surface. Its fixed focus lens is in focus from ~2 m to infinity, but out of focus at 66 cm. The f/3 lens has a FOV of ~70° by 52° across and along the direction of motion, with an IFOV of 0.76 mrad. All cameras can acquire video at 4 frames/second for full frames or 720p HD at 6 fps. Images can be processed using lossy Joint Photographic Experts Group and predictive lossless compression.

Ancient Martian aeolian processes and palaeomorphology reconstructed from the Stimson formation on the lower slope of Aeolis Mons, Gale crater, Mars

“…Targets are identified during the rover traverse using the Navcams (described below). The spatial resolution provided by the M34 camera is 450 μm/pixel at 2 m distance from the target to 22 cm/pixel at 1 km distance, whereas the M100 camera provides a resolution of 150 μm/pixel at 2 m and 7·4 cm/pixel at 1 km from the target (Malin et al ., ). Providing sufficient grain–grain colour contrast, the M100 is capable of resolving medium sand grains (250 to 500 μm) at a distance of ca 3·5 m from the rover.…”

Mineral‐Filled Fractures as Indicators of Multigenerational Fluid Flow in the Pahrump Hills Member of the Murray Formation, Gale Crater, Mars

“…Mastcam consists of two cameras with different fixed focal lengths; the left Mastcam (M-34) has a 34-mm focal length and f/8 lens, creating a 15°field of view (FOV), and the right Mastcam (M-100) has a 100-mm focal length and f/10 lens, with a 5°FOV (Bell et al, 2017;Malin et al, 2017). Mastcam consists of two cameras with different fixed focal lengths; the left Mastcam (M-34) has a 34-mm focal length and f/8 lens, creating a 15°field of view (FOV), and the right Mastcam (M-100) has a 100-mm focal length and f/10 lens, with a 5°FOV (Bell et al, 2017;Malin et al, 2017).…”

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover Mastcam instruments: Preflight and in‐flight calibration, validation, and data archiving

“…For additional details on the processing of full size and thumbnail JPEG images as well as factors concerning their operational use, see Malin et al . [, ].…”

“…More details about the Mastcam instrument, and the Mastcam science investigation, in general, can be found in Malin et al . [, ] and Bell et al . [, ], and more details about the general goals of the Curiosity mission, plus the goals of other payload instruments also carried by the rover, can be found in Grotzinger et al .…”