What is the difference between the Viking cameras and the IMP in terms of color integrity and resolution?
The IMP and the Viking cameras have approximately equivalent resolution, but in other ways, the technology developed since the Viking days has allowed for improvements. The color integrity of IMP images will be noticeably improved when compared to the Viking images. This is mainly for two reasons. The first is simply that the IMP has more filters than the Viking cameras did, and this allows it to see a wider range of spectra. This holds especially true in the imaging of the Martian atmosphere. The Viking cameras had only one solar filter, whereas the IMP has eight filters which are specifically for the atmosphere. These filters will not only detect dust in the atmosphere, but will also be capable of “seeing” water vapor. In addition to these scientific improvements, with the increased number of atmosphere and geology filters, the IMP should be able to give us a better sense of what the sky really looks like on Mars. The second reason for the improved color integrity in the Pathfinder m
