Image: The UV sensor on the Curiosity rover deck

Description: The left eye of the two-camera Mast Camera (Mastcam) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity took the images of the rover's upper deck. The images were taken in March 2011. At the time, Curiosity was inside a space simulation chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for testing under thermal conditions like those the rover is now experiencing on the surface of Mars. Presented here is a UV sensor photo cropped from a mosaic of interconnected images. The UV sensor located on the Curiosity rover deck is composed of six photodiodes in the following ranges: 315-370 nm (UVA), 280-320 nm (UVB), 220-280 nm (UVC), 200370 nm (total dose), 230-290 nm (UVD), and 300-350 nm (UVE), with an accuracy better than 8% of the full range for each channel, computed based on Mars radiation levels and minimum dust opacity. The photodiodes face the zenith direction and have a field of view of 60 degrees. The sensor will be placed on the rover deck without any dust protection. To mitigate dust degradation, a magnetic ring has been placed around each photodiode with the aim of maximizing their operational time. Nevertheless, to evaluate dust deposition degradation, images of the sensor will be recorded periodically. Comparison of these images with laboratory measurements will permit evaluation of the level of dust absorption.
Title: The UV sensor on the Curiosity rover deck
Credit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/gallery/pia14131.html
Author: NASA
Permission: NASA
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
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