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[[File:Beagle-2-separation.png|thumbnail|Beagle 2 separation]]
[[File:Elysium Planitia labelled view.jpg|thumb|Global view of planet Mars, with [[Elysium Planitia]], where [[InSight]] landed in 2018, and Gale crater, where Curiosity landed in 2012 noted along with the North polar cap]]
The '''Visual Monitoring Camera''' ('''VMC'''),<ref name="faq">{{cite web |url=http://blogs.esa.int/vmc/faq/ |title=Mars Webcam: FAQ |website=blogs.esa.int |publisher=[[European Space Agency]]}}</ref> also known as the '''Video Monitoring Camera'''<ref name="bulletin109">{{cite journal |url=http://www.esa.int/esapub/bulletin/bullet109/chapter9_bul109.pdf |title=Studies on the Re-use of the Mars Express Platform |journal=ESA Bulletin |first1=A. |last1=Gimenez |first2=J-P. |last2=Lebreton |first3=H. |last3=Svedhem |first4=J. |last4=Tauber |issue=109 |date=February 2002}}</ref> and '''Mars Webcam''', is a small camera mounted on ''[[Mars Express]]'' spacecraft. It is operated by the Mars Express Flight Control Team at [[ESOC]] in [[Darmstadt]], Germany. Originally an technical camera to monitor the seperation of the Beagle 2 lander, after a few years it was repurposed into Mars Webcam, streaming its data to the web and even being used for science.
Starting in 2007, the VMC was used for the Mars Webcam project (sometimes called this after this time) where it takes global views of Mars at a high cadence and they are posted online.<ref name="ESA">{{cite web |title=Mars Webcam: About |url=http://blogs.esa.int/vmc/about-the-mars-webcam/ |website=blogs.esa.int |publisher=[[European Space Agency]]}}</ref> The VMC is a camera-on-chip design, using the IRIS-1 system.<ref name="ESA" /> Originally used as engineering monitoring camera for the ''[[Beagle 2]]'' lander, it has a wide 40° [[field of view]] and limited imaging controls and it has no focus mechanism.<ref name="ESA" /> In 2016, it was used for professional science in addition to its roles as a technical monitoring camera and public outreach, etc.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mars Webcam goes pro |url=http://esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Mars_Webcam_goes_pro |website=esa.int |publisher=[[European Space Agency]] |date=25 May 2016}}</ref>
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