  The Multi-site All-sky CAmeRA MASCARA is an instrument concept consisting of
several stations across the globe, with each station containing a battery of
low-cost cameras to monitor the near-entire sky at each location. Once all
stations have been installed, MASCARA will be able to provide a nearly 24-hr
coverage of the complete dark sky, down to magnitude 8, at sub-minute cadence.
Its purpose is to find the brightest transiting exoplanet systems, expected in
the V=4-8 magnitude range - currently not probed by space- or ground-based
surveys. The bright/nearby transiting planet systems, which MASCARA will
discover, will be the key targets for detailed planet atmosphere observations.
We present studies on the initial design of a MASCARA station, including the
camera housing, domes, and computer equipment, and on the photometric stability
of low-cost cameras showing that a precision of 0.3-1% per hour can be readily
achieved. We plan to roll out the first MASCARA station before the end of 2013.
A 5-station MASCARA can within two years discover up to a dozen of the
brightest transiting planet systems in the sky.
