Mars rover camera project manager explains 2MP camera choice
Now that I find out that the main reason for using a 2 MP camera is because that's what the specifications were in 2004, I'm a lot more disappointed than if it was just about the speed of transfer between Mars and Earth.2 MP cameras were in high-end phones in 2004, but you'd expect NASA to use something a little more advanced than what was available in phones in 2004. How much more would it have cost them to use a 5 MP one? $100 more if they chose one in 2004 and stuck with it, or $10 more if the camera was added just a year ago. So this makes me think that they just didn't think this would be such an important factor, compared to say making the robot work.