Well, we already know that the main camera has only twice the megapixel density, so we are back to stitching images to increase the quality. Fortunately nothing moves much on mars over the timescales that the camera operates, so its perfectly reasonable to get the quality up that way, just as we have seen with Spirit and (the still working) Opportunity.
But as much as we all want to accept that it's not Curiosity's main mission (taking pretty pictures,) it is a very important part of the mission because it's pictures, not data that gets the public's attention, and more importantly, makes future missions to mars a priority for politicians who see a voting public willing to support them.
It may even be "plebeian" to ask questions about the technical features of a data collection instrument named "Curiosity". I should have been an aristocrat instead of an engineer ; I could marvel at everything wrapped in the bliss of my ignorance.
And for the record, I think it is amazing and wonderful to receive these images. I am so thankful for that.
But, for a data collection instrument that cost $2.6 billion to build, I cannot conceal my very personal feeling that an opportunity was missed.
The $2.6 billion price tag is not just for the rover, it includes R&D for the rover itself, employee salaries, Sky Crane & parachute R&D as well as the rocket to launch it, which cost over $100 million.
Also included in the budget is funding needed for all of the science teams to do what they do over the next few years while the rover does experiments.
