The MVACS Robotic Arm Camera

The Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) is one of the key instruments newly developed for the Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor payload of the Mars Polar Lande r. This lightweight instrument employs a front lens with variable focus ran ge and takes images at distances from 11 mm (image scale 1:1) to infinity. Color images with a resolution of better than 50 mum can be obtained to cha racterize the Martian soil. Spectral information of nearby objects is retri eved through illumination with blue, green, and red lamp sets. The design a nd performance of the camera are described in relation to the science objec tives and operation. The RAC uses the same CCD detector array as the Surfac e Stereo Imager and shares the readout electronics with this camera. The RA C is mounted at the wrist of the Robotic Arm and can characterize the conte nts of the scoop, the samples of soil fed to the Thermal Evolved Gas Analyz er, the Martian surface in the vicinity of the lander, and the interior of trenches dug out by the Robotic Arm. It can also be used to take panoramic images and to retrieve stereo information with an effective baseline surpas sing that of the Surface Stereo Imager by about a factor of 3.