Sensors Developed by Teledyne-DALSA Guide NASA Rover on Mars Mission

The CCD Sensors manufactured by Teledyne DALSA will be used by the NASA Rover on its mission to Mars. The sensors have been embedded in the Engineering Cameras on the Curiosity Rover on 26 November.

The two sensors are called Navcam and Hazcam cameras which are implanted on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Rover that is used for navigational missions on Mars. The MSL will be having four Navcams and eight Hazcams.

The Navcam is mounted on a pan/tilt mast, which is two positioned 2 m above the ground. These cameras are black and white and provide a panoramic, three dimensional views of the surroundings. The camera consists of a stereo camera pair, each of which provides a 45° field of view that will be useful for scientists and engineers in ground navigation planning. These cameras will be used along with the Hazcams to provide enhanced situational awareness. The Hazcams have been designed for avoiding the hurdles on the navigation path. These have been installed at the front and rear of the rover; they use the visible light to capture three dimensional images. These images help the rover in avoiding obstacles or losing its way, while navigating the surface of Mars. The software helps the rover in making decisions by thinking on its own and choosing the optimum path. The cameras provide a wide field of view of 120 ° and helps in capturing images located at a distance of 3m. The Hazcams are incapable of independent motion hence are mounted on the rover’s body.