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Pancam

Pancam is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pancam rather than just read about it. In short: Each Pancam is one of two electronic stereo cameras on Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. It has a filter wheel assembly that enables it to view different wavelengths of light and the pair of Pancams are mounted beside two NavCams on the MER camera bar assembly.

Pancam — main illustration
Pancam — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Pancam belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Pancam to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Pancam from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Each Pancam is one of two electronic stereo cameras on Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. It has a filter wheel assembly that enables it to view different wavelengths of light and the pair of Pancams are mounted beside two NavCams on the MER camera bar assembly. According to Cornell University it can work with Mini-TES to analyze surroundings. According to a paper about Mars by JPL, the Pancam system can achieve an angular resolution of 300 microradians, which is three times better than the human eye. It can observe 14 spectral bands, and with two side-by side cameras can generate stereoscopic views of Mars, supporting the creation of large Mars panoramas in excess of 10 Gbit uncompressed. Spirit rover took the highest resolution image ever taken on the surface of another planet up to that time when it landed in 2004.

Optics The focal length of the camera is 43 mm with a field of view (FOV) of 16° x 16°. The two cameras are separated by 30 cm and are mounted upside-down relative to each other.

Charge-Coupled Device A 1024 x 2048 frame transfer Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) detector built by Mitel is used for both cameras. The CCD is front-side illuminated and does not use any anti-reflex or UV-enhancing coatings. Half of the chip is used for storage and readout and is therefore shielded from illumination.

Electronics An Actel Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) RT1280 provides the necessary computational abilities for the camera. The signal of the CCD is transformed into a 12-bit digital signal before data processing.

Filter wheel The left camera has filters with the following wavelength: (739, 753, 673, 601, 535, 482, 432, 440 nm), while the right camera has the filters for:(436, 754, 803, 864, 904, 934, 1009, 880 nm). Each filter wheel is driven by a stepper motor to provide rotation of the wheel.

Calibration target

The calibration target on the rover is also part of the camera system and contains several areas. Polished areas to reflect the Martian sky, areas with known reflectivity and at the four corners color targets made from silicone. The inorganic pigments for the corners were hematite, goethite, chromium oxide and cobalt aluminate. The calibration target is part of the sundial assembly.

See also Astrionics Comparison of embedded computer systems on board the Mars rovers Curiosity rover Hazcam List of NASA cameras on spacecraft Mars Navcam

References

External links PanCam Mars Exploration Rover Athena Panoramic Camera (Pancam) investigation

Illustrations

Pancam: 753, 535, and 432 nanometers light wavelengths (e.g. approximately true color) of Solander point as seen overlooking Botany bay.[1]
753, 535, and 432 nanometers light wavelengths (e.g. approximately true color) of Solander point as seen overlooking Botany bay.[1]
Pancam: Pancam Mast Assembly (PMA)
Pancam Mast Assembly (PMA)
Pancam: Pancam operators attempted human eye color in these two pictures of the MER MarsDial taken 10 days apart. Dust-clearing winds reduced the amount of dust in the right-side image. The images were produced with light from 430 nanometer to 750 nm wavelengths.[6]
Pancam operators attempted human eye color in these two pictures of the MER MarsDial taken 10 days apart. Dust-clearing winds reduced the amount of dust in the right-side image. The images were produced with light from 430 nanometer to 750 nm wavelengths.[6]

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pancam

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pancam claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pancam before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pancam ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pancam

In research
Pancam appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Pancam in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Pancam is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Mars Exploration Rover mission, Mars imagers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Pancam outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pancam in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Pancam means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Pancam out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pancam in simple terms?

Each Pancam is one of two electronic stereo cameras on Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. It has a filter wheel assembly that enables it to view different wavelengths of light and the pair of Pancams are mounted beside two NavCams on the MER camera bar assembly.

Why does Pancam matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pancam?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pancam.

Tags

  • Mars Exploration Rover mission
  • Mars imagers

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