The PanCam Instrument for the ExoMars Rover

Coates, A. J.; Jaumann, R.; Griffiths, Andrew D.; Leff, C.; Schmitz, Nicole; Josset, Jean-Luc; Paar, Gerhard; Gunn, Matthew; Hauber, Ernst; Cousins, C. R.; Cross, Rachel Elizabeth; Grindrod, Peter M.; Bridges, J. C.; Balme, M. R.; Gupta, Sanjeev; Crawford, Ian; Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Stabbins, R. B.; Tirsch, Daniela; Vago, Jorge L.; Theodorou, T.; Caballo-Perucha, Maria del Pilar; Osinski, G. R.

doi:10.1089/ast.2016.1548

Cited by 67 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 128 publications

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“…Physical calibration of PRo3D has not been done with the MER camera system, but is being performed for the ExoMars PanCam system (Coates et al, 2017). Nevertheless, some calibration can be done in-situ on Mars.…”

Section: The Pro3d Measurement Tool and Application To Mer Opportunitmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Surface-based 3D measurements of small aeolian bedforms on Mars and implications for estimating ExoMars rover traversability hazards

Balme

Robson

Barnes

et al. 2018

Planetary and Space Science

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A B S T R A C TRecent aeolian bedforms comprising loose sand are common on the martian surface and provide a mobility hazard to Mars rovers. The ExoMars rover will launch in 2020 to one of two candidate sites: Mawrth Vallis or Oxia Planum. Both sites contain numerous aeolian bedforms with simple ripple-like morphologies. The larger examples are 'Transverse Aeolian Ridges' (TARs), which stereo imaging analyses have shown to be a few metres high and up to a few tens of metres across. Where they occur, TARs therefore present a serious, but recognized and avoidable, rover mobility hazard. There also exists a population of smaller bedforms of similar morphology, but it is unknown whether these bedforms will be traversable by the ExoMars rover. We informally refer to these bedforms as "mini-TARs", as they are about an order of magnitude smaller than most TARs observed to date. They are more abundant than TARs in the Oxia Planum site, and can be pervasive in areas. The aim of this paper is to estimate the heights of these features, which are too small to measured using High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), from orbital data alone. Thereby, we aim to increase our knowledge of the hazards in the proposed ExoMars landing sites. We propose a methodology to infer the height of these mini-TARs based on comparisons with similar features observed by previous Mars rovers. We use roverbased stereo imaging from the NASA Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity and PRo3D software, a 3D visualisation and analysis tool, to measure the size and height of mini-TARs in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars. These are good analogues for the smaller bedforms at the ExoMars rover candidate landing sites. We show that bedform height scales linearly with length (as measured across the bedform, perpendicular to the crest ridge) with a ratio of about 1:15. We also measured the lengths of many of the smaller aeolian bedforms in the ExoMars rover Oxia Planum candidate landing site, and find that they are similar to those of the Meridiani Planum miniTARs. Assuming that the Oxia Planum bedforms have the same length/height ratio as the MER Opportunity miniTARs, we combine these data to provide a probabilistic method of inferring the heights of bedforms at the Oxia Planum site. These data can then be used to explore the likely traversability of this site. For example, our method suggests that most of the bedforms studied in Oxia Planum have ridge crests higher than 15 cm, but lower than 25 cm. Hence, if the tallest bedforms the ExoMars rover will be able to safely cross are only 15 cm high, then the Oxia Planum sites studied here contain mostly impassable bedforms. However, if the rover can safely traverse 25 cm high bedforms, then most bedforms here will be smaller than this threshold. As an additional outcome, our results show that the mini-TARs have length/height ratios similar to TARs in general. Hence, these bedforms could probably be classified simply as "small TARs", rather than forming a discrete...

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Section: The Pro3d Measurement Tool and Application To Mer Opportunitmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2020, the European Space Agency, in partnership with the Russian Roscosmos, will launch the ExoMars rover to Mars (Vago et al, 2015(Vago et al, , 2017. The rover has the explicit goal of looking for signs of past life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface-based 3D measurements of small aeolian bedforms on Mars and implications for estimating ExoMars rover traversability hazards

Balme

Robson

Barnes

et al. 2018

Planetary and Space Science

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“…The ExoMars rover Pasteur payload (Barnes et al, ; Vago et al, ) contains a suite of nine instruments plus a subsurface drill, which will be used to address ExoMars' primary objective of detecting evidence of extinct life within subsurface deposits (McMahon et al, ; Vago et al, ). Among these are a number of imaging instruments, including the Panoramic Camera (PanCam) (Coates et al, ) and the CLose UP Imager (CLUPI) (Josset et al, ), with point hyperspectral data provided by the Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars (ISEM) (Korablev et al, ). The ExoMars rover will be the first mission to combine imagers covering three different spatial scales (including stereo; Barnes et al, ) in combination with a point infrared spectrometer, in situ at the Martian surface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…PanCam data will provide local scale morphological and mineralogical context along the rover traverse (Coates et al, ). The ExoMars PanCam's heritage comes from the Beagle 2 Stereo Camera System (Griffiths et al, ) and from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Pancams (Bell et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both HRC and its emulator HRC‐E are able to capture high‐resolution subset images of the larger PanCam FOV; their FOVs are 4.88° and 5.45° , respectively. HRC pixels measure approximately 0.17 mm at a rover working distance of 2 m and 8.5 cm per pixel at a distance of 1 km (Coates et al, ). At the time this work was undertaken HRC‐E was simply monochromatic (see Figure a) but at the time of publication it has been updated to more closely resemble the flight model which uses a Bayer filter pattern to capture color imagery.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multiscale and Multispectral Characterization of Mineralogy with the ExoMars 2022 Rover Remote Sensing Payload

Allender

Cousins

Gunn

et al. 2020

Earth and Space Science

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In 2020, the European Space Agency and Roscosmos will launch the ExoMars rover, with the scientific objective to detect evidence of life within the Martian surface via the deployment of a 2 m drill. The ExoMars Pasteur payload contains several imaging and spectroscopic instruments key to this objective: the Panoramic Camera (PanCam), Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars (ISEM), and Close-UP Imager (CLUPI). These instruments are able to collect data at a variety of spatial (sub-mm to decimeter) and spectral (3.3 to 120 nm) resolutions across the 440 to 3,300 nm wavelength range and collectively will form a picture of the geological and morphological characteristics of the surface terrain surrounding the rover. We deployed emulators of this instrument suite at terrestrial analog sites that formed in a range of aqueous environments to test their ability to detect and characterize science targets. We find that the emulator suite is able to effectively detect, characterize, and refine the compositions of multiple targets at working distances spanning from 2 to 18 m. We report on (a) the detection of hydrothermal alteration minerals including Fe-smectites and gypsum from basaltic substrates, (b) the detection of late-stage diagenetic gypsum veins embedded in exposures of sedimentary mudstone, (c) multispectral evidence of compositional differences detected from fossiliferous mudstones, and (d) approaches to cross-referencing multi-scale and multi-resolution data. These findings aid in the development of data products and analysis toolkits in advance of the ExoMars rover mission.

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Geological Analysis of Martian Rover‐Derived Digital Outcrop Models Using the 3‐D Visualization Tool, Planetary Robotics 3‐D Viewer—PRo3D

Barnes

Gupta

Traxler

et al. 2018

Earth and Space Science

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Panoramic camera systems on robots exploring the surface of Mars are used to collect images of terrain and rock outcrops which they encounter along their traverse. Image mosaics from these cameras are essential in mapping the surface geology and selecting locations for analysis by other instruments on the rover's payload. 2‐D images do not truly portray the depth of field of features within an image, nor their 3‐D geometry. This paper describes a new 3‐D visualization software tool for geological analysis of Martian rover‐derived Digital Outcrop Models created using photogrammetric processing of stereo‐images using the Planetary Robotics Vision Processing tool developed for 3‐D vision processing of ExoMars PanCam and Mars 2020 Mastcam‐Z data. Digital Outcrop Models are rendered in real time in the Planetary Robotics 3‐D Viewer PRo3D, allowing scientists to roam outcrops as in a terrestrial field campaign. Digitization of point, line, and polyline features is used for measuring the physical dimensions of geological features and communicating interpretations. Dip and strike of bedding and fractures is measured by digitizing a polyline along the contact or fracture trace, through which a best fit plane is plotted. The attitude of this plane is calculated in the software. Here we apply these tools to analysis of sedimentary rock outcrops and quantification of the geometry of fracture systems encountered by the science teams of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity and Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity. We show the benefits PRo3D allows for visualization and collection of geological interpretations and analyses from rover‐derived stereo‐images.

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The PanCam Instrument for the ExoMars Rover

Cited by 67 publications

References 128 publications

Surface-based 3D measurements of small aeolian bedforms on Mars and implications for estimating ExoMars rover traversability hazards

Surface-based 3D measurements of small aeolian bedforms on Mars and implications for estimating ExoMars rover traversability hazards

Multiscale and Multispectral Characterization of Mineralogy with the ExoMars 2022 Rover Remote Sensing Payload

Geological Analysis of Martian Rover‐Derived Digital Outcrop Models Using the 3‐D Visualization Tool, Planetary Robotics 3‐D Viewer—PRo3D

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