A color stereoscopic HD camera was installed on the Mars-2020 rover

New Mars Rover of NASA Aerospace Agency"Mars 2020" is preparing to join its fellow "Curiositi", looking for signs of life on our planetary neighbor. The main task of the new Martian autonomous research laboratory will be to study the large impact crater Yezero. In fact, initially this crater was considered as a potential target for the rover Curiosity, but NASA decided to choose the Gale crater as the object of his research.

For scientific activities, the new rover willuse a variety of high-tech equipment. Scientists believe that the crater Ezero is not just an ordinary impact crater, but may be a remnant of an ancient Martian lake, in which, perhaps, once even could live life. Even if the rover does not find signs of life here, the region is of interest to scientists due to the likelihood of the presence of mineral reserves here that could have been formed under the influence of water. The study of these minerals will allow to find out the evolution of this ancient lake, NASA experts say.

Color Images of Mars

For easy navigation and documentation.terrain new rover will need to collect visual information. For these purposes, "Mars 2020" decided to equip with two high-resolution cameras Mastcam-Z. Moreover, new cameras will be able to shoot a color image and will be able to scale it. This should help scientists observe and study the mineralogy and structure of Martian deposits.

"Mastcam-Z will be the first color camera on Marswith the ability to change the focal length, which will allow shooting in stereoscopic format at an unprecedented level of resolution ", - commented the head of the project development camera Mastcam-Z Jim Bell from Arizona State University.

"With a resolution level of three hundredths of an inch (0.8millimeters) in front of the rover and less than 1.5 inches (38 millimeters) from a distance of 330 feet (100 meters) images taken with Mastcam-Z cameras can play a key role in selecting the best soil samples from the crater Yezero for further study on Earth ” - added a specialist.

To date, color stereoscopicthe camera is already installed on the mast of the rover (the red round roof in the image above covers its lens). As soon as the rover lands on the Red Planet, the mast will rise, providing the best viewing angle of the surrounding space.

The Mars-2020 rover will be sent to the Red Planet from the launch site at Cape Canaveral (Florida, USA) in July 2020.

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