NASA Selects MSSS to Provide Science Camera for Mars 2020 Rover Mission
MALIN SPACE SCIENCE SYSTEMS, INC.
SAN DIEGO, CA 92191-0148
TELEPHONE: (858) 552-2650, EXT. 500
http://www.msss.com/
Contact: Michael Ravine, ravine@msss.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 31 JULY 2014
NASA SELECTS MSSS TO PROVIDE SCIENCE CAMERA FOR 2020 MARS ROVER MISSION
NASA has selected the Mastcam-Z proposal, led by Jim Bell of Arizona
State University, for flight on the Mars 2020 rover mission to be
conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Mastcam-Z system will
be provided by Malin Space Science Systems, Inc. MSSS will also
provide uplink planning services during mission operations.
Mastcam-Z is derived from the Mastcam instruments currently operating
on the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity rover, which has been on Mars
since August 2012. Mastcam-Z will have a two-eye 3.6:1 zoom optical
system (28mm to 100mm) which will allow stereo imaging over a broad
range of fields of view to assist rover navigation and science
planning. It will use the same image sensor as the Curiosity Mastcam,
but will fill the complete 1600x1200 sensor area. It will also have
a similar set of color filters, Bayer-pattern color imaging, video, and
image compression modes.
"We wanted to take advantage of all the work we did for our MSL
Mastcams, while addressing some of their limitations," said Mike
Ravine, Advanced Projects Manager at MSSS. "We felt that the most
cost-effective improvement was to add a zoom to provide better stereo
capability. The zoom will deliver the same optical quality as the
fixed-focal-length systems on MSL, while giving the flexibility to
trade resolution against coverage and data volume."
Ken Edgett of MSSS will also be a Co-Investigator for Mastcam-Z,
lending his expertise in Mars science.
The Mars 2020 rover is currently scheduled to launch in July-August
2020 and will land on Mars in January-March 2021.
The Mastcam-Z investigation was selected by NASA's Science Mission
Directorate in an open competition. The Mastcam-Z instrument will be
developed and operated by Malin Space Science Systems, Inc., of San
Diego, CA, under contract to Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
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