Wide Angle Camera testing during the 2009 AMASE expedition for the ExoMars PanCam instrument

The joint NASA – ESA Arctic Mars Analogue Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) provides the opportunity to carry out mission simulations and test in-situ planetary instrumentation within geological and environmental Martian analogue surroundings [1]. The Wide Angle Cameras (WACs) form an integral component of the ExoMars PanCam instrument [2], which also incorporates a High Resolution Camera. The WACs provide essential panoramic, RGB colour and multispectral imaging of the surrounding terrain and nearby geological outcrops. This data is utilised to identify outcrops that warrant further investigation and to provide an initial lithological identification. These outcrops are considered the primary markers for identifying the sheltered subsurface environments where the ExoMars drill might sample remnant organic materials, thereby achieving the exobiological goals of the ExoMars mission.