The world's most powerful digital camera

The world's most powerful digital camera

Curiosity Mars Rover has started sending its first images in high resolution of the surface of Mars, but so far we had found with very poor, low quality images, which have given rise to a flurry of comments and questions: what kind of cameras has sent NASA to Mars?

The first images the rover transmitted shortly after landing were black and white and in low resolution, taken with a few small cameras installed on the bottom for any damage on its wheels. Then have been arriving with higher quality images, until they have been published in high resolution taken with the cameras of the mast.

It is there where the rover has installed a system composed of two chambers MastCam - manufactured by Malin Space Science Systems for NASA-, which are far more versatile team that has been sent on a mission of this kind. They remain two meters above the ground when the spacecraft is on a flat surface and both are able to record video to a high number of frames per second, even videos in high definition 720 p (1280 × 720 pixels) at a speed of 10 frames per second.

The difference between the two chambers lies mainly in its focal length and, therefore, the angle of vision who are able to photograph. The first mounted a 34 mm lens f/8 that covers an angle of 15 degrees and the second a lens 100 mm f/10 covering 5.1 °. For those who are not very positions in photography, the first is more suitable for the shots and the second to show detail.

The Curiosity Chambers are also able to take 360 degree panoramic photos and record 3D images by combining two lenses.

Each of the MastCam has an internal memory of 8 gigabytes that can store more than 5,500 images 'blank'. In addition, they are able to compress without loss of quality or loss in JPEG format and do it both in real time and subsequently, before sending them to the ground. However, NASA scientists do not receive directly the images, but a preview screenshots of poor quality ('thumbnail '), and then ask for photos that most interest them.

Like the weight of the files, the color treatment is one of the great difficulties in taking snapshots 'space', above all to get the camera to photograph possible more similar tones to those who would capture the human eye on Mars. This camera uses a Bayer filter, which ends with the need to take three photographs, one for each color model RGB (red, green and blue), using different filters, slowing the process and increasing the volume of data by store.

And with these cameras with which the Curiosity is taking the pictures that we see on Earth. Thus at the moment they appear as 'ugly' and they get better as its Martian journey progresses. Although, in sight of the specifications and technical tests carried out before sending the rover into space, not hopefully miracles.

Other cameras from the Curiosity

MAHLI: installed in a robotic arm, used to take microscopic images of the soil and rocks. With a focal length between 18.3 mm and 21.3 mm and a from 33.8 to 38.5 ° viewing angle, this camera can take photos color of 1600 × 1200 pixels with a resolution of up to 14.5 micrometers per pixel. You can store images ' gross' and compressed in JPEG.
MARDI: this camera was programmed to take pictures to color during the descent to the Martian surface, beginning to the 3.7 km away and up to 5 meters above the ground, at a speed of 5 frames per second for about two and a half minutes.
Cameras for navigation and collision avoidance: it's a series of cameras in white and black designed to prevent damage and guide the rover on the Martian surface, filled with rocks and craters that would compromise their integrity. Four of them (Hazcams) are located in the four corners of the space vehicle. Two others (Navcams) found in the mast and allow you to capture 3D image.