Of course, none of these photos will compare to the pictures taken by Curiosity's two located toward the center of MSL's main mast. These cameras, designed by , will be able to take large color images of Mars's surface, as well as record 720p video, snap 360-degree panoramas, and even act together as a 3D camera.

The two MastCams come equipped with different lenses: One has a 34mm f/8 lens that covers a 15-degree field of view, while the other uses a 100mm f/10 lens with a much narrower 5.1-degree field of view.

The cameras share the same 1600 by 1200-pixel CCD sensor (2 megapixels). Both cameras are also fitted with a filter wheel to take images in the visible light or infrared light spectrum, as well as neutral density filters for viewing the sun.

Hopefully NASA will take the wraps off of these two great cameras so we can start seeing some high-definition Mars landscapes.

[ and via ]