SGV engineers help bring Mars in focus

In a land far far away, without the presence of humans nearby, cameras are taking pictures of landscape features with tremendous clarity and detail. Up on the surface of Mars, NASA’s Perseverance mission is seeking out signs of possible microbial life, and to do so, it has some amazing technology that has survived the trip through space, landing on another planet, and bouncing around on a space vehicle in extreme temperatures and climate conditions that are literally out of this world.

Dr. Blake Crowther was a key team member that developed the optical system that can zoom in stereoscopically on tiny details over 100 meters away on the Martian terrain, and get those images back to Earth. Effectively the “eyes of the rover” cruising on Mars, Mastcam-Z is a unit with optical design software developed by Synopsys, a leading electronic design automation company with an office in Pasadena.

MADIA Tech Launch is pleased to host Dr. Crowther at their upcoming, and free, virtual meeting on Wednesday evening, June 9, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., to get an inside look at optical design with Mastcam-Z. To receive a Zoom link to the meeting, simply register through Eventbrite: https://madia_techlaunch_mars_rover_eyes.eventbrite.com.

Supporting the local technology community is the purpose of MADIA Tech Launch a nonprofit educational organization that is supported by the cities of Monrovia, Arcadia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa and Glendora and that encourages community support and learning opportunities for those interested in the entrepreneurial technology companies, careers, and community that exists here in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley.

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