Hazcams (short forhazard avoidance cameras) arephotographiccameras mounted on the front and rear ofNASA'sSpirit,Opportunity,Curiosity andPerseverance rover missions toMars and on the lower front portion of ChineseYutu rover mission to theMoon.
TheCuriosity rover's hazcams are sensitive tovisible light and return black and white images ofresolution 1024 × 1024pixels.[1] These images are used by the rovers' internal computer to autonomously navigate around hazards. Due to their positioning on both sides of the rovers, simultaneous images taken by either both front or both rear cameras can be used to produce a3D map of the immediate surroundings. As the cameras are fixed (i.e. can not move independently of the rover), they have a widefield of view (approximately 120° both horizontally and vertically) to allow a large amount of terrain to be visible.
They are considered engineering cameras since they were not designed to be used for scientific experiments. The other set of engineering cameras on the rovers are thenavcams.
The safe landing of theMars Science Laboratory was initially confirmed using the vehicle's hazcams.
The Perseverance cameras are qualified to operate in temperatures at the poles of Mars and image correctly over a 100 °C (212 °F) temperature range.[2]
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