Statistics – Computation
Scientific paper
Aug 2000
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000mpse.conf..116m&link_type=abstract
International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration, p. 116
Statistics
Computation
Crashes, High Resolution, Landing Sites, Mars Landing, Mars Polar Lander, Mars Surface, Planetary Mapping, Position (Location), Surface Roughness, Topography, Slopes, Dunes, Mars Climate Orbiter
Scientific paper
Between mid-December 1999 and early February 2000, forty images (approx. 400 MBytes) were acquired of the area believed to be the location where the ill-fated Mars Polar Lander is believed to have crashed, uniquely covering 667 sq km and, additionally, covering most of this area stereoscopically. These images cover most of the landing ellipses identified as encompassing the most probable crash site. No evidence of the lander or of the lander delivery system (parachute or aeroshell) was seen. A geomorphic sketch map was created at a scale of 10 m/pixel. Eleven characteristic morphologies (plus one 'other') and three qualitative assessments of topographic roughness were plotted on a base map compiled from the Mars Orbital Camera (MOC) images. By these criteria, 36 percent of the surface is considered smooth, 26 percent intermediate, and 33 percent rough (5 percent was not classified owing to uncertainty in application of the qualitative criteria, e.g., are sand dunes rough or smooth?). To quantitatively assess the topographic roughness, a topographic profile in a characteristically rough area was constructed by point stereophotogrammetry. These data were then calibrated against a nearby Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topographic profile to produce a controlled MOC topographic profile. Slopes were measured over distances ranging from 10 to 150 inches, with slopes measured over long distances typically shallower than those measured over short distances. In the most topographically rugged region within the landing zone (e.g., on the slopes of the depression along the western margin of the landing zone uncertainty ellipses), no more than 12 percent of the surface has slopes in excess of 10 degrees when sampled at scales of 10-40 m/pixel; about 4 percent of the surface has slopes greater than 15 degrees. Sampling over longer distances yielded lower slope values. Indeed, much of the landing zone is substantially smoother. A graph shows the frequency of occurrence of a given slope angle as a function of slope angle for the same three metrics as described above. The overlap between the adjacent sample metric and the other, larger sampling window computations, shows that these measurements reasonably sample the range in slopes. MOC images show close-up examples of some stereo pairs, illustrating the steepest and most rugged relief in the vicinity of the landing site. The polar landing site was less hazardous than many areas on Mars, but not without hazards. It is unlikely that the lander failed owing to geology.
Edgett Kenneth Scott
Malin Michael C.
No associations
LandOfFree
The Mars Surveyor 1998 Landing Zone: Searching for Mars Polar Lander in High Resolution MOC Images 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 The Mars Surveyor 1998 Landing Zone: Searching for Mars Polar Lander in High Resolution MOC Images, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Mars Surveyor 1998 Landing Zone: Searching for Mars Polar Lander in High Resolution MOC Images will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-741903