HRSC: the High Resolution Stereo Camera of Mars Express

Mathematics – Logic

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Mars Express, Cameras

Scientific paper

The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), originally developed for the Russian-led Mars-96 mission, was selected as part of the Orbiter payload for ESA's Mars Express mission. The HRSC is a pushbroom scanning instrument with nine CCD line detectors mounted in parallel in the focal plane. Its unique feature is the ability to obtain near-simultaneous imaging data of a specific site at high resolution, with along-track triple stereo, four colours and five different phase angles, thus avoiding any time-dependent variations of the observational conditions. An additional Super-Resolution Channel (SRC) - a framing device - will yield nested images in the metre-resolution range for detailed photogeologic studies. The spatial resolution from the nominal periapsis altitude of 250 km will be 10 m px-1, with an image swath of 53 km, for the HRSC and 2.3 m px-1 for the SRC. During the mission's nominal operational lifetime of 1 martian year (2 Earth years) and assuming an average HRSC data transfer share of 40%, it will be possible to cover at least 50% of the martian surface at a spatial resolution of ≤15 m px-1. More than 70% of the surface can be observed at a spatial resolution of ≤30 m px-1, while more than 1% will be imaged at better than 2.5 m px-1. The HRSC will thus close the gap between the medium- to low-resolution coverage and the very high-resolution images of the Mars Observer Camera on the Mars Global Surveyor mission and the in situ observations and measurements by landers. The HRSC will make a major contribution to the study of martian geosciences, with special emphasis on the evolution of the surface in general, the evolution of volcanism, and the role of water throughout martian history. The instrument will obtain images containing morphologic and topographic information at high spatial and vertical resolution, allowing the improvement of the cartographic base down to scales of 1:50000. The experiment will also address atmospheric phenomena and atmosphere-surface interactions, and will provide urgently needed support for current and furture lander missions as well as for exobiological studies. The goals of HRSC on Mars Express will not be met by any other planned mission or instrument.

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