NASA’s 2020 Mars rover to have 23 ‘eyes’
NASA’s Mars 2020 mission will have more cameras than any rover before it – a grand total of 23 – to create sweeping panoramas, reveal obstacles and study the atmosphere of the red planet. These “eyes” will provide dramatic views during the rover’s descent to Mars and be the first to capture images of a parachute as it opens on another planet, the US space agency said. There will even be a camera inside the rover’s body, which will study samples as they are stored and left on the surface for collection by a future mission, according to NASA.
The cameras on 2020 will include more colour and three- dimensional (3D) imaging than on Curiosity, said Jim Bell of Arizona State University, principal investigator for 2020’s Mastcam-Z. The “Z” stands for “zoom,” which will be added to an improved version of Curiosity’s high-definition Mastcam, the rover’s main eyes. Mastcam-Z’s stereoscopic cameras can support more 3D images, which are ideal for examining geologic features and scouting potential samples from long distances away.
Features like erosion and soil textures can be spotted at the length of a soccer field. Documenting details like these is important: They could reveal geologic clues and serve as “field …read more