[Strategerist]

Seems like for the multibillions of dollars spent, they could have thrown in a stepper motor. All it had to do was spin around and take a photo every few degrees.

All thing are more expensive and more complicated in space.

The whole assembly has to work at -200 degrees below zero. And survive radiation. And be tested over and over. You're talking millions more dollars just for a rotating camera (and again remember this isn't the digital cameras of today; it's the digital cameras of 15-20 years ago.

They possibly would have had to remove another science instrument due to budget or weight constraints.

[MarkeyD]

I understand all that. I'm a EE, FYI. Just seems like a 360 view would have been high on the list.

[Question_Assumptions]

They also weren't sure how long it was going to last on the surface if, for example, it landed in liquid. They were originally talking "at least a minute" not "more than an hour". But it would have been nice if the camera could have at least panned a little. They got a lot of pictures of the same thing.