Mars Colour Camera: The payload characterization/calibration and data analysis from Earth imaging phase

Abstract

Mars Colour Camera (MCC) on-board Mars Orbiter Mission is considered the 'eye' of the mission, taking photographs (imageries) of the surfacial features on Mars, and the cloud and dust around it. MCC is an important contextual camera for other non-imaging sensors like MSM, TIS, LAP, etc. The camera has been designed, characterized, calibrated and qualified at the Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad by a team of professional engineers and scientists. It has been miniaturized, ruggedized and space-qualified to match the weight and power budget of the mission. During Earth orbit phase, the images returned by the camera have been analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results show that MCC has been working as expected in terms of radiometry, geometry and application potential to discern various morphological features. The present article discusses these facts in detail.