Mars Color Imager (MARCI) for Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

The Mars Color Imager (MARCI), shown here with a gloved hand for scale, is designed to produce a global map to help characterize daily, seasonal and year-to-year variations in Mars' climate, providing a daily weather report for Mars. It is monitoring the weather on Mars for at least one Martian year.

MARCI observes processes such as dust storms and changes in the polar cap using five visible-light bands. Additionally MARCI makes ultraviolet observations at two wavelengths to detect variations in ozone, dust, and carbon dioxide changes in the atmosphere. These processes will be observed on scales of tens of kilometers or miles.

The Principal Investigator (lead scientist) is Mike Malin from Malin Space Science Systems. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.