Imager for Mars pathfinder (IMP) experiment

IMP will land on the surface of Mars on July 4, 1997 and take the first pictures of the outflow delta of the Ares Valles river system. The imager is a multi-spectral, stereo camera with 12 filters per eye and a separation between the eyes of 15 cm. The imager rests on a pop-up mast 80 cm above the lander and 1.5 m above the surface and has full pointing ability. IMP will provide the mapping and orientation capabilities needed by the Pathfinder Rover, contouring the local topography. Several targets on the lander enhance the ability of the camera to study Mars: magnetic targets of varying strength will collect the magnetic component of the wind-blown dust, calibration targets allow spectra to be normalized for nearby rocks, and windsocks show the direction, speed, and vertical gradient of the local wind. Several science goals are being addressed with this experiment including the geology and weathering of the local terrain, the absorption properties of the atmosphere, the magnetic strength of the windblown dust, and the wind vectors.