Image quality prediction: an aid to the Viking Lander imaging investigation on Mars

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Abstract
Two Viking spacecraft scheduled to land on Mars in the summer of 1976 will return multispectral panoramas of the Martian surface with resolutions 4 orders of magnitude higher than have been previously obtained and stereo views with resolutions approaching that of the human eye. Mission constraints and uncertainties require a carefully planned imaging investigation that is supported by a computer model of camera response and surface features to aid in diagnosing camera performance, in establishing a preflight imaging strategy, and in rapidly revising this strategy if pictures returned from Mars reveal unfavorable or unanticipated conditions.