High Resolution Mapping of the Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Interior

Statistics – Computation

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

[0540] Computational Geophysics / Image Processing, [1221] Geodesy And Gravity / Lunar And Planetary Geodesy And Gravity, [5470] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Surface Materials And Properties, [6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon

Scientific paper

We are making geodetically controlled high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs) and image orthomosaics of the Constellation (Cx) Program region of interest (ROI) in the lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin interior (“SAB”) (center at 200.06° E, 60.00° S). This work is part of the Lunar Mapping and Modeling Program (LMMP), a NASA-funded effort to create useful cartographic products from past and current lunar datasets and to serve them on a web portal. The SAB is one of 50 ROIs chosen by Cx as potential sites for future robotic or human landings or analogs thereof. Source data for our products includes publically released ~50 cm/pixel Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera images and Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) spot elevation measurements and preliminary global 16 posts/° DTM. Products generated so far include: a) a preliminary stereo DTM covering ~25% of the center 20 km square area of the ROI, with post spacing (resolution) of 1.5 m and ~86x10^6 posts; b) a preliminary mosaic of 90% of the 40 km square ROI, with a resolution of 2 m, orthorectified with LOLA data or, where possible, the stereo DTM; c) preliminary DTMs generated via the use of photoclinometry (“shape from shading”), covering small areas with post spacing of 50 cm; and d) slope and roughness maps derived from a and c. All products are in the lunar mean Earth/polar axis coordinate system and the preliminary global reference frame of the current LOLA DTM. The absolute accuracy of these products is limited by the horizontal and vertical accuracy of the LOLA DTM, to which they are tied (DTMs and mosaics) or on which they are projected (mosaics). The expected vertical precision of the stereo DTM is ~20 cm. The products will soon be publically available via the LMMP portal and also via the USGS planetary GIS site, http://webgis.wr.usgs.gov/. Final versions tied to the LOLA nominal mission global DTM will be available in 2011 October. Preliminary analyses of these products in the context of regional views provided by the preliminary global LOLA DTM show that the SAB site has widespread intercrater plains with regional slopes (over ~470 m) generally less than 3.6° RMS. The preliminary LROC DEM shows local slopes (over 3 m) of ~9° RMS. Comparison to soil maturity maps derived from Clementine data reveals the distribution of fresh craters on the crater-saturated surface and provides context for more detailed boulder studies using the LROC images. The very high spatial resolution of the DTM, image mosaic and photoclinometry products provide detailed information on the roughness of the surface, crater size and distributions, and boulder populations. Together these data suggest that the SAB site will be highly suitable as a lunar landing site and thus serves as an excellent test-case for future landing site planning and development of lunar surface operational maps.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

High Resolution Mapping of the Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Interior does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with High Resolution Mapping of the Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Interior, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and High Resolution Mapping of the Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Interior will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1499508

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.