MARCI

The Mars Color Imager, nicknamed MARCI, produces a global weather map of Mars that helps scientists understand the daily, seasonal and year-to-year variations in the climate of the Red Planet.

Tech Specs

Main Job	To produce a global weather map of Mars to help characterize daily, seasonal, and year-to-year variations in the red planet's climate.
Mass	~1.06 pounds (481 g)
Power	<5 Watts when imaging
Size	3.6 x 2.8 x 5.5 inches (9.2 x 7.2 x 14.0 centimeters)
Data Return	A full resolution seven-band, global image can be acquired and downlinked for about 6.2 Gbits/day.
Color Quality	Seven filters include five centered in visible-light wavelengths (425, 550, 600, 650 and 725 nanometers) and two in ultraviolet wavelengths (250 and 320 nanometers).
Image Size	1000 pixels wide and can be many thousands of pixels long, depending on the objective of the image.
Image Resolution	Spatial resolution selectable from 0.6 mile (one kilometer) per pixel to 6 miles (10 kilometers) per pixel.
Focal Length	Visible Optics 4.0 mm Ultraviolet Optics 3.8 mm at 260 nm, 4.0 mm at 317 nm
Focal Ratio and Field of View	Visible Optics f/4.3, yielding an IFOV of 2.3 mrad and a FOV of 180 degrees crosstrack, 26 degrees downtrack Ultraviolet Optics f/7.5 at 260 nm; f/7.8 at 317 nm, yielding an IFOV of 2.3 mrad and a FOV of 180 degrees crosstrack, 26 degrees downtrack

High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment

MARCI (Mars Color Imager) produces a global weather map of Mars to help characterize daily, seasonal, and year-to-year variations in the red planet's climate.

MARCI also observes processes such as dust storms and changes in the polar cap using five visible bands.

In addition, MARCI makes ultraviolet observations at two wavelengths to detect variations in ozone, dust, and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. MARCI observes these processes on scales of tens of kilometers.

The Principal Investigator (lead scientist) is Mike Malin from Malin Space Science Systems.

Visit the instrument site: MARCI Instrument Site