Purdue University associate professor studying images of Mars taken with camera she helped design
Dr. Briony Horgan of Purdue University's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences helped to create one of the camera systems used on NASA's Perseverance Rover and is now part of the team collecting and analyzing data from the images collected.
As part of the team that designed the Mastcam-Z camera system used by NASA's Perseverance Rover to explore Mars, Purdue University's Dr. Briony Horgan is helping to make important discoveries about the red planet. Dr. Horgan is also a lead on the tactical team, working daily with the engineering team to plan the rover's activities for the next day. Images gathered by the Mastcam-Z are helping scientists analyze the landscape and mineral composition of Mars, a critical component in planning the long-term goals of the Perseverance mission.
The Mastcam-Z cameras consist of two square lenses and filters mounted on the mast of the Perseverance Rover. As described by NASA, the rover has two of these camera systems, which have the capability to zoom, take panoramic images, and observe time-dependent occurrences such as dust devils. These capabilities allow the Mastcam-Z cameras to achieve three main goals: collecting data about the topography, geomorphology, and geologic record of mars, assessment of atmospheric conditions, and providing operational support for rover navigation, which enables planning for further exploration by Perseverance.
In a news release from Purdue, Dr. Horgan explains the importance of the data being collected by the Mastcam-Z cameras. Using the filters equipped in the system, the team can examine the landscape under specific wavelengths of light, helping to identify specific minerals in the area around the rover site. Dr. Horgan said, "We can do that over 13 different positions across the visible wavelengths of light that we see. We can use that to look for specific color fingerprints of different minerals on the Mars surface and use it to actually map out where different minerals are occurring."
Dr. Horgan is one of the leads for the tactical science team for the Perseverance mission. Working with the engineering team leads, Dr. Horgan and her colleagues plan activities for the rover based on data collected by the Mastcam-Z cameras. It can take up to 20 minutes for radio signals to reach the rover, making precise planning critical to the success of the mission. According to Dr. Horgan, it can take around 12-15 hours of work to plan 12-15 hours of activity for Perseverance. As she describes, "You really can't know for sure what's going on for the next day until you get the data back telling you where you are, what's around you and your instrument status. When the data comes down, that's when we start, sometimes as early as 3 a.m."
Currently, the rover is performing initial driving and instrument testing while collecting data to help scientists plan activity for Ingenuity, a small robotic helicopter mounted on the rover that will be able to explore the landscape of Mars beyond the reach of the rover itself. Dr. Horgan explains, "Right now we're examining the surroundings trying to figure out where we should go, how do we get there, and what are we going to do along the way."
NASA has published many of the images gathered by the Mastcam-Z cameras. Over 12,000 images have been sent back from Perseverance since the rover touched down on Mars in February.