R. Glenn Sellar

Multispectral microimager for astrobiology

A primary goal of the astrobiology program is the search for fossil records. The astrobiology exploration strategy calls for the location and return of samples indicative of environments conducive to life, and that best capture and preserve biomarkers. Successfully returning samples from environments conducive to life requires two primary capabilities: (1) in situ mapping of the mineralogy in order to determine whether the desired minerals are present; and (2) nondestructive screening of samples for additional in-situ testing and/or selection for return to laboratories for more in-depth examination. Two of the most powerful identification techniques are micro-imaging and visible/infrared spectroscopy. The design and test results are presented from a compact rugged instrument that combines micro-imaging and spectroscopic capability to provide in-situ analysis, mapping, and sample screening capabilities. Accurate reflectance spectra should be a measure of reflectance as a function of wavelength only. Other compact multispectral microimagers use separate LEDs (light-emitting diodes) for each wavelength and therefore vary the angles of illumination when changing wavelengths. When observing a specularly-reflecting sample, this produces grossly inaccurate spectra due to the variation in the angle of illumination. An advanced design and test results are presented for a multispectral microimager which demonstrates two key advances relative to previous LED-based microimagers: (i) acquisition of actual reflectance spectra in which the flux is a function of wavelength only, rather than a function of both wavelength and illumination geometry; and (ii) increase in the number of spectral bands to eight bands covering a spectral range of 468 to 975 nm.

Ultra-compact Imaging Spectrometer (UCIS) for in-situ planetary mineralogy: laboratory and field calibration

The Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer (UCIS) is a miniature telescope and spectrometer system intended for mapping terrain mineralogy over distances from 1.5 m to infinity with spatial sampling of 1.35 mrad over a 30° field, and spectral sampling of 10 nm in the 600-2500 nm range. The core of the system has been designed for operation in a Martian environment, but can also be used in a terrestrial environment when placed inside a vacuum vessel. We report the laboratory and field calibration data that include spatial and spectral calibration, and demonstrate the use of the system.

Modeling the effects of distortion, contrast, and signal-to-noise ratio on stereophotogrammetric range mapping

Stereophotogrammetry typically employs a pair of cameras, or a single moving camera, to acquire pairs of images from different camera positions, in order to create a three dimensional ‘range map’ of the area being observed. Applications of this technique for building three-dimensional shape models include aerial surveying, remote sensing, machine vision, and robotics. Factors that would be expected to affect the quality of the range maps include the projection function (distortion) of the lenses and the contrast (modulation) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the acquired image pairs. Basic models of the precision with which the range can be measured assume a pinhole-camera model of the geometry, i.e. that the lenses provide perspective projection with zero distortion. Very-wide-angle or ‘fisheye’ lenses, however (for e.g. those used by robotic vehicles) typically exhibit projection functions that differ significantly from this assumption. To predict the stereophotogrammetric range precision for such applications, we extend the model to the case of an equidistant lens projection function suitable for a very-wide-angle lens. To predict the effects of contrast and SNR on range precision, we perform numerical simulations using stereo image pairs acquired by a stereo camera pair on NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity. Contrast is degraded and noise is added to these data in a controlled fashion and the effects on the quality of the resulting range maps are assessed.