SCIENCE OBJECTIVE:
INSTRUMENT
DESCRIPTION: The
lander needs to see its surroundings. It would
be nice to have live streaming video but the amount of data that would have to
be handled would
be overwhelming. What is typically done is to use a high resolution
B&W camera with an optical
RGB filter wheel in front. The three images are then combined to make a
color image. This
method is the most flexible since it allows other filters to be used, such as
those that highlight
geological or biological aspects. This project would look at the options
then design the camera
system complete with an optical zoom lens. Fortunately components from
camcorders can be
adapted, such as the zoom lens.
A
possible USB interfaced camera for use here can be viewed at:
SPECIFICATIONS:
PROJECT STATUS:
INSTRUMENT COSTS:
APPLICABLE WEB SITES:
DATE: July 6,
2006