Mars! Cameras! Action!

NASA’s Curiosity rover landed safely on Mars on Aug. 5 – with no fewer than 17 cameras onboard. The rover’s mast features seven cameras: the Remote Micro Imager, part of the Chemistry and Camera suite; four black-and-white Navigation Cameras (two on the left and two on the right) and two color Mast Cameras (Mastcams). The left Mastcam has a 34-mm lens and the right, a 100-mm lens. There are nine cameras hard-mounted to the rover: two pairs of black-and-white Hazard Avoidance Cameras in the front; another two pairs mounted to the rear of the rover (dashed arrows in the graphic) and the color Mars Descent Imager (MARDI). In addition, there is one camera on the end of a robotic arm that is stowed in this graphic; it is called the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI).