Engineering:Navcam

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Curiosity's self-portrait shows the deck of the rover as viewed from the NavCams.

Navcam, short for navigational camera, is a type of camera found on certain robotic rovers or spacecraft used for navigation without interfering with scientific instruments.[1][2][3] Navcams typically take wide angle photographs that are used to plan the next moves of the vehicle[4] or object tracking.[1]

Overview

The Mars Curiosity rover has two pairs of black and white navigation cameras mounted on the mast to support ground navigation. The cameras have a 45 degree angle of view and use visible light to capture stereoscopic 3-D imagery.[5] These cameras, like those on the Mars Pathfinder missions support use of the ICER image compression format[citation needed].

European Space Agency Rosetta spacecraft used a single camera with 5 degree field of view and 12 bit 1024x1024px resolution allowing for visual tracking on each of spacecraft approaches to the asteroids and finally the comet.[1]

Gallery

  • Curiosity rover's mast with two navcams

  • Mars Exploration Rover's mast with two Pancams (on its sides) and two navcams

  • Example of photo made by Opportunity's navcam

  • First photo made by Curiosity's navcam

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Comet 67P/C-G in Rosetta's navigation camera". ESA. http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/06/25/comet-67pc-g-in-rosettas-navigation-camera/. Retrieved 15 August 2015. 
  2. ↑ "The rover's "eyes" and other "senses"". Mars Exploration Rover Mission. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://marsrover.nasa.gov/mission/spacecraft_rover_eyes.html. Retrieved 3 January 2013. 
  3. ↑ "How A Team Of Scientists Dropped A One-Ton Science Lab On Mars Completely Unscathed". The Business Insider. 17 December 2012. 
  4. ↑ "More Driving And Imaging At 'Matijevic Hill'". Space Daily. November 26, 2012. 
  5. ↑ First NavCam mosaic



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