Mars Curiosity photo size and cameras explained

The Curiosity rover is sending data to Earth in several ways, but only its UHF transmitter is able to push a large enough amount of data back to send images. The next issue was the fact that the same sensor had to work for four different cameras onboard: MAHLI, two Mastcams, and the camera set to capture the machine’s descent to the planet – MARDI. Each of these cameras were built around one single platform so that each of them would not have to be re-tested and qualified for the mission. This way of accomplishing NASA’s goals makes everything less expensive and more dependable in the end.