Instrument Overview
  ===================
 
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)
investigation uses a 2-megapixel color camera with a focusable
macro lens aboard the rover, Curiosity, to investigate stratigraphy
and grain-scale texture, structure, mineralogy, and morphology of
geologic materials in northwestern Gale crater.  Of particular
interest is the stratigraphic record of a ~5 km thick layered rock
sequence exposed on the slopes of Aeolis Mons (also known as Mount
Sharp). The instrument consists of three parts, a camera head
mounted on the turret at the end of a robotic arm, an electronics
and data storage assembly located inside the rover body, and a
calibration target mounted on the robotic arm shoulder azimuth
actuator housing.  MAHLI can acquire in-focus images at working
distances from ~2.1 cm to infinity. At the minimum working distance,
image pixel scale is ~14 microns per pixel and very coarse silt grains
can be resolved. At the working distance of the Mars Exploration Rover
Microscopic Imager cameras aboard Spirit and Opportunity, MAHLI's
resolution is comparable at ~30 microns per pixel.  Onboard capabilities
include autofocus, auto-exposure, sub-framing, video imaging,
Bayer pattern color interpolation, lossy and lossless compression,
focus merging of up to 8 focus stack images, white light and longwave
ultraviolet (365 nm) illumination of nearby subjects, and 8 gigabytes
of non-volatile memory data storage.
 
For further information about the MAHLI instrument, please see
EDGETTETAL2012.
 
For futher information about the MAHLI characterization and calibration
status from August 2008 - February 2015 including supplementary files,
please see EDGETTETAL2015.