The MVACS Surface Stereo Imager on Mars Polar Lander

The Surface Stereo Imager (SSI), a stereoscopic, multispectral camera on th e Mars Polar Lander, is described in terms of its capabilities for studying the Martian polar environment. The camera's two eyes, separated by 15.0 cm , provide the camera with range-finding ability. Each eye illuminates half of a single CCD detector with a field of view of 13.8 degrees high by 14.3 degrees wide and has 12 selectable filters between 440 and 1000 nm. The f/1 8 optics have a large depth of field, and no focusing mechanism is required ; a mechanical shutter is avoided by using the frame transfer capability of the 528 X 512 CCD. The resolving power of the camera, 0.975 mrad/pixel, is the same as the Imager for Mars Pathfinder camera, of which it is nearly a n exact copy. Specially designed targets are positioned on the Lander; they provide information on the magnetic properties of windblown dust, and radi ometric standards for calibration. Several experiments beyond the requisite color panorama are described in detail: contour mapping of the local terra in, multispectral imaging of interesting features (possibly with ice or fro st in shaded spots) to study local mineralogy, and atmospheric imaging to c onstrain the properties of the haze and clouds. Eight low-transmission filt ers are included for imaging the Sun directly at multiple wavelengths to gi ve SSI the ability to measure dust opacity and potentially the water vapor content. This paper is intended to document the functionality and calibrati on of the SSI as flown on the failed lander.