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.