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by l2p 1935 days ago
This is not correct, there are multiple downward facing cameras [a]:

1) Navigation (NAV) Camera. This is a global-shutter, nadir pointed grayscale 640 by 480 pixel sensor (Omnivision OV7251) mounted to a Sunny optics module. It has a field-of-view (FOV) of 133 deg (horizontal) by 100 deg (vertical) with an average Instantaneous Field-of-view (IFOV) of 3.6 mRad/pixel, and is capable of acquiring images at 10 frames/sec. Visual features are extracted from the images and tracked from frame to frame to provide a velocity estimate.

2) Return-to-Earth (RTE) Camera. This is a rolling shutter, high-resolution 4208 by 3120 pixel sensor (Sony IMX 214) with a Bayer color filter array mated with an O-film optics module. This camera has a FOV of 47 deg (horizontal) by 47 deg (vertical) with an average IFOV of 0.26 mRad/pixel.

[a]https://trs.jpl.nasa.gov/bitstream/handle/2014/46229/CL%2317...

2 comments

Shouldn't that be a Return-to-Mars (RTM) Camera?
No, it is going to record images meant to be returned to Earth. See section "Sensors" on page 13 in

https://trs.jpl.nasa.gov/bitstream/handle/2014/46229/CL%2317...

But aren't those cameras just for navigation and won't record or stream any footage?

Edit: spelling

One of the stated goals is to use of the drone to scout interesting places for other drones. In theory I guess it could take that decision without sharing the source images, but that seems a bit far fetched. You'd want to study them in ridiculous detail.