<p align="justify" class="title">NASA's Mars 2020 mission will have more cameras than any rover before it - a grand total of 23 - to create sweeping panoramas, reveal obstacles and study the atmosphere of the red planet.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">These "eyes" will provide dramatic views during the rover's descent to Mars and be the first to capture images of a parachute as it opens on another planet, the US space agency said.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">There will even be a camera inside the rover's body, which will study samples as they are stored and left on the surface for collection by a future mission, according to NASA.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The cameras on 2020 will include more colour and three- dimensional (3D) imaging than on Curiosity, said Jim Bell of Arizona State University, principal investigator for 2020's Mastcam-Z.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The "Z" stands for "zoom," which will be added to an improved version of Curiosity's high-definition Mastcam, the rover's main eyes.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Mastcam-Z's stereoscopic cameras can support more 3D images, which are ideal for examining geologic features and scouting potential samples from long distances away.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Features like erosion and soil textures can be spotted at the length of a soccer field.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Documenting details like these is important: They could reveal geologic clues and serve as "field notes" to contextualise samples for future scientists.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"Routinely using 3D images at high resolution could pay off in a big way. They are useful for both long-range and near-field science targets," Bell said.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">When NASA's Mars Pathfinder touched down in 1997, it had five cameras: two on a mast that popped up from the lander, and three on NASA's first rover, Sojourner.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">They represent a steady progression since Pathfinder: after that mission, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers were designed with 10 cameras each, including on their landers; Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover has 17.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"Camera technology keeps improving," said Justin Maki of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"Each successive mission is able to utilise these improvements, with better performance and lower cost," said Maki, Mars 2020's imaging scientist.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers were all designed with engineering cameras for planning drives (Navcams) and avoiding hazards (Hazcams). These produced 1- megapixel images in black and white.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">On the new rover, the engineering cameras have been upgraded to acquire high-resolution, 20-megapixel colour images, NASA said.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Their lenses will also have a wider field of view. That is critical for the 2020 mission, which will try to maximise the time spent doing science and collecting samples, it said. </p>
<p align="justify" class="title">NASA's Mars 2020 mission will have more cameras than any rover before it - a grand total of 23 - to create sweeping panoramas, reveal obstacles and study the atmosphere of the red planet.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">These "eyes" will provide dramatic views during the rover's descent to Mars and be the first to capture images of a parachute as it opens on another planet, the US space agency said.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">There will even be a camera inside the rover's body, which will study samples as they are stored and left on the surface for collection by a future mission, according to NASA.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The cameras on 2020 will include more colour and three- dimensional (3D) imaging than on Curiosity, said Jim Bell of Arizona State University, principal investigator for 2020's Mastcam-Z.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The "Z" stands for "zoom," which will be added to an improved version of Curiosity's high-definition Mastcam, the rover's main eyes.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Mastcam-Z's stereoscopic cameras can support more 3D images, which are ideal for examining geologic features and scouting potential samples from long distances away.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Features like erosion and soil textures can be spotted at the length of a soccer field.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Documenting details like these is important: They could reveal geologic clues and serve as "field notes" to contextualise samples for future scientists.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"Routinely using 3D images at high resolution could pay off in a big way. They are useful for both long-range and near-field science targets," Bell said.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">When NASA's Mars Pathfinder touched down in 1997, it had five cameras: two on a mast that popped up from the lander, and three on NASA's first rover, Sojourner.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">They represent a steady progression since Pathfinder: after that mission, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers were designed with 10 cameras each, including on their landers; Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover has 17.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"Camera technology keeps improving," said Justin Maki of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">"Each successive mission is able to utilise these improvements, with better performance and lower cost," said Maki, Mars 2020's imaging scientist.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">The Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers were all designed with engineering cameras for planning drives (Navcams) and avoiding hazards (Hazcams). These produced 1- megapixel images in black and white.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">On the new rover, the engineering cameras have been upgraded to acquire high-resolution, 20-megapixel colour images, NASA said.</p>.<p align="justify" class="bodytext">Their lenses will also have a wider field of view. That is critical for the 2020 mission, which will try to maximise the time spent doing science and collecting samples, it said. </p>