OMEGA/Mars Express: Visual channel performances and data reduction techniques

In this paper we discuss the on-ground and in-flight performances of the visual channel of the OMEGA instrument on board the European mission Mars Express. OMEGA is a mapping spectrometer designed for mineralogical and atmospheric investigation of Mars. This work aims to be a guide to future users for the analysis of the OMEGA data. We give a detailed description of the instrumental characteristics of the OMEGA visual channel and systematic effects known so far, providing the guideline for the correct data processing. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.