Curiosity Cameras

Nature photography is generally attributed to wildlife and landscapes here on our lovely home planet. NASA, of course, is always thinking a little outside of our local atmosphere; from early moon explorations to the Hubble telescope and the various Mars Rovers across the years. This year marks a huge accomplishment for technology with the successful launch of the Mars Rover Curiosity. Nuclear powered and equipped with 6 wheels,  a robotic arm, lasers and equipment to detect chemical compositions, various antennae, drill bits and of course; the cameras, Curiosity has left quite a mark on the red planet (no seriously, the tire treads leave morse code on the planet's surface). 

Taking into consideration how much time has been put into this device, it is almost surprising to find that the camera equipped on the Mar Curiosity to share its findings with humanity is a mere 2 mega pixels (MP) with 8 gigabytes (GB) of memory. Compared to an iPhone 4 with a 5MP camera, or the outrageous Nokia 808 Pureview with a 41MP camera, it raises questions as the the reasoning for the camera specs on the rover.  An interview with NASA on the very subject led to a few explanations for this choice. 

The camera components of Curiosity was being worked on in 2004 where such a simple choice was not as far fetched and the data that the sensor would produce had to be considered when transmitting information from one planet to another at various points in their orbit around the sun...With four cameras working on Curiosity to provide the most accurante visual of the martian planet, large image and video files would be excessive and the files recieved are often stitched together into a larger resolution image. The equipment for the cameras had also been proven through various radiation testing to ensure that they would survive the trip. And the list goes on...Nonetheless, the entirity of the Mars Rover Curiosity is quite an amazing thing indeed, and the next 687 earth days/ 1 martian year will be full of exiting new information about our neighbor in orbit. 

Regards to NASA interview, Curiosity Specs, Nokia 808