View source for Engineering:Mars Orbiter Camera

[[File:Mars Observer - MOC2 cb.jpg|thumb|The Mars Orbiter Camera was in orbit around Mars between 1997 and 2006 (narrow-angle camera inside the cylinder, the two wide-angle cameras attached on the front area)]]
The '''Mars Orbiter Camera''' and '''Mars Observer Camera''' ('''MOC''') were scientific instruments on board the [[Astronomy:Mars Observer|Mars Observer]] and [[Astronomy:Mars Global Surveyor|Mars Global Surveyor]] spacecraft. The [[Physics:Camera|camera]] was built by [[Company:Malin Space Science Systems|Malin Space Science Systems]] (MSSS) for [[Organization:NASA|NASA]] and the cost of the whole MOC scientific investigation project was about US$ 44 million, higher than anticipated in the budget.<ref name="malin">{{cite journal|authors=Michael C. Malin, Kenneth S. Edgett, Bruce A. Cantor, Michael A. Caplinger, G. Edward Danielson, Elsa H. Jensen, Michael A. Ravine, Jennifer L. Sandoval, Kimberley D. Supulver|title=An overview of the 1985–2006 Mars Orbiter Camera science investigation|journal=Mars - The International Journal of Mars Science and Exploration|date=6 January 2010|volume=5|pages=1–60|doi=10.1555/mars.2010.0001|url=http://www.marsjournal.org/contents/2010/0001/|publisher=Mars Informatics Inc.|bibcode=2010IJMSE...5....1M}}</ref>

==Introduction==
[[File:Hearts-of-mars.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Heart-shaped features on Mars ([[Astronomy:Mars Global Surveyor|MGS]], MOC, February 14, 2004).]]
Originally named '''Mars Observer Camera''', it was selected by [[Organization:NASA|NASA]] in 1986 for the [[Astronomy:Mars Observer|Mars Observer]] mission, but it returned only three images of planet [[Astronomy:Mars|Mars]] before the loss of the spacecraft in 1993.  A second camera of the same specifications, renamed to '''Mars Orbiter Camera''' (MOC), was built (with assistance by [[Organization:California Institute of Technology|California Institute of Technology]]) and launched on board the [[Astronomy:Mars Global Surveyor|Mars Global Surveyor]] (MGS) spacecraft in 1996.  The camera returned 243,668 images while in orbit around Mars, before the loss of the MGS spacecraft in 2006.<ref name="malin" />  Mars Orbiter Camera was operated by its manufacturer, Malin Space Science Systems, from its facilities in San Diego, California.<ref name="pic" />

The scientific instrument consisted of three elements: a black-and-white narrow-angle camera with a [[Spatial resolution|spatial resolution]] of 1.4 metres per [[Pixel|pixel]] (from an altitude of 378&nbsp;km), and two [[Physics:Push broom scanner|pushbroom]] wide-angle cameras<ref name="hoeck">{{cite web|url=http://www.solar-system-school.de/lectures/space_instrumentation/11.ppt|title=Planetary & Cometary Exploration Cameras on Orbiters and Landers|last=Hoekzema|first=Nick|accessdate=2 February 2014|archiveurl=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:gVFij8J2VhcJ:http://www.solar-system-school.de/lectures/space_instrumentation/11.ppt%2Bhttp://www.solar-system-school.de/lectures/space_instrumentation/11.ppt|archivedate=2014-02-02}}</ref> (one red, the other blue) with resolution capabilities spanning 230 m per pixel to 7.5&nbsp;km/pixel. The narrow-angle camera provided 97,097 (roughly 40%) of the 243,668 images returned by Mars Orbiter Camera.<ref name="malin" />

The narrow-angle camera was placed inside an 80&nbsp;cm-long cylinder with a diameter of 40&nbsp;cm, and the two wide-angle cameras were attached above the cylinder's front area. All cameras were based on [[Engineering:Charge-coupled device|CCD]] technology and were supported by state-of-the-art 1980s electronics, including a 32-bit [[Engineering:Radiation hardening|radiation-hardened]] 10 [[Megahertz|MHz]] processor (capable of 1 million instructions per second) and 12 [[Megabyte|MB]] of DRAM memory buffer.<ref name="malin" />

In addition to taking images, the MOC instrument's 12 MB memory buffer serviced the Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Relay antenna as temporary data storage for communications between Earth and landed spacecraft on Mars.  For example, more than 7.6 [[Terabit|terabit]]s of data were transferred to and from the Mars Exploration Rovers (''Spirit'' and ''Opportunity'').  The camera also enabled NASA scientists to choose suitable landing sites for other exploration missions.<ref name="malin" />

==Images==
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px>
File:Mars by Mars Observer.png|Mars Observer Camera view of Mars, before contact was lost
File:Mars 2.jpg|Mars Orbiter Camera view of Mars in enhanced color, centered on [[Astronomy:Arabia Terra|Arabia Terra]] (the bright area)<ref>{{cite web |url = http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02004 |title = PIA02004: Syrtis Major and Arabia Terra, Mars |accessdate = 4 December 2013 |date = 14 June 2000 |work = JPL.NASA.gov}}</ref>
File:Moc2 166b msss.gif|Mars Orbiter Camera picture taken on 21 July 1999 showing Mars' polar dunes<ref name="pic">{{cite web |url = http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/8_10_99_releases/moc2_166/ |title = Defrosting Polar Dunes--"They Look Like Bushes! |accessdate = 4 December 2013 |date = 10 August 1999 |work = Malin Space Science Systems}}</ref>

Image:Gullies and tongue-shaped glacier.jpg|Gullies in a crater in Eridania, north of the large crater Kepler.  Also, features that may be remains of old glaciers are present.  One, to the right, has the shape of a tongue.  Image taken with [[Astronomy:Mars Global Surveyor|Mars Global Surveyor]], under the MOC Public Targeting Program. 
 
Image:Dust devil tracks in Eridania.JPG|Pattern of large and small tracks made by giant dust devils as seen by Mars Global Surveyor.

Image:Gully in Phaethontis.jpg|Group of gullies on north wall of crater that lies west of the crater Newton (41.3047 degrees south latitude, 192.89 east longitide).  Image taken with [[Astronomy:Mars Global Surveyor|Mars Global Surveyor]] under the MOC Public Targeting Program.

Image:Dark streaks in Diacria.JPG|Dark streaks in [[Astronomy:Diacria quadrangle|Diacria quadrangle]], as seen by ''Mars Global Surveyor'', under the [[Astronomy:MOC Public Targeting Program|MOC Public Targeting Program]].
Image:Coprates layers.JPG|Layers in the canyon wall in [[Astronomy:Coprates quadrangle|Coprates quadrangle]], as seen by ''Mars Global Surveyor'', under MOC Public Targeting Program.

Image:Lava flow in Elysium.JPG|Lava flow in Elysium.  There are many lava flows in the [[Astronomy:Elysium quadrangle|Elysium quadrangle]].  In this one, the lava flowed toward the upper right.  Image taken by ''Mars Global Surveyor'', under the [[Astronomy:MOC Public Targeting Program|MOC Public Targeting Program]].

</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Astronomy:MOC Public Targeting Program|MOC Public Targeting Program]]
Malin also built and operated other cameras for NASA, including:
*[[Astronomy:Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter#CTX .28camera.29|Context (CTX) Camera]] also for the MRO spacecraft
*[[Astronomy:JunoCam|JunoCam]], on board the [[Engineering:Juno (spacecraft)|Juno]] spacecraft, deployed in Jupiter orbit in 2016
*[[Astronomy:Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter#MARCI .28camera.29|Mars Color Imager]] for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft

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==References==
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