Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Filter Total Items: 915

Survey of TES high albedo events in Mars' northern polar craters

Following the work exploring Korolev Crater (Armstrong et al., 2005) for evidence of crater interior ice deposits, we have conducted a survey of Thermal Emission Spectroscopy (TES) temperature and albedo measurements for Mars' northern polar craters larger than 10 km. Specifically, we identify a class of craters that exhibits brightening in their interiors during a solar longitude, Ls, of 60 to 12
Authors
J.C. Armstrong, S.K. Nielson, Timothy N. Titus

Titan's surface from Cassini RADAR SAR and high resolution radiometry data of the first five flybys

The first five Titan flybys with Cassini's Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) and radiometer are examined with emphasis on the calibration and interpretation of the high-resolution radiometry data acquired during the SAR mode (SAR-radiometry). Maps of the 2-cm wavelength brightness temperature are obtained coincident with the SAR swath imaging, with spatial resolution approaching 6 km. A preliminary c
Authors
F. Paganelli, Michael A. Janssen, B. Stiles, R. West, Ralf D. Lorenz, Jonathan I. Lunine, Stephen D. Wall, Philip S. Callahan, Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Ellen R. Stofan, Randolph L. Kirk, W.T.K. Johnson, L. Roth, Charles Elachi

Initial insights from 2.5D hydraulic modeling of floods in Athabasca Valles, Mars

We present the first application of a 2.5D hydraulic model to catastrophic floods on Mars. This model simulates flow over complex topography and incorporates flood dynamics that could not be modeled in the earlier 1D models. We apply this model to Athabasca Valles, the youngest outflow channel on Mars, investigating previous bank-full discharge estimates and utilizing the interpolated Mars Orbiter
Authors
Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Roger P. Denlinger, D. R. H. O'Connell, Devon M. Burr

Meter-scale morphology of the north polar region of mars

Mars' north pole is covered by a dome of layered ice deposits. Detailed (∼30 centimeters per pixel) images of this region were obtained with the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Planum Boreum basal unit scarps reveal cross-bedding and show evidence for recent mass wasting, flow, and debris accumulation. The north polar layers themselves are
Authors
Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, S. Byrne, P.S. Russell, K.E. Fishbaugh, A. S. McEwen

Athabasca Valles, Mars: A lava-draped channel system

Athabasca Valles is a young outflow channel system on Mars that may have been carved by catastrophic water floods. However, images acquired by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft reveal that Athabasca Valles is now entirely draped by a thin layer of solidified lava - the remnant of a once-swollen river of molten rock. The lava er
Authors
Windy L. Jaeger, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Alfred S. McEwen, Colin M. Dundas, Paul C. Russell

A closer look at water-related geologic activity on Mars

Water has supposedly marked the surface of Mars and produced characteristic landforms. To understand the history of water on Mars, we take a close look at key locations with the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, reaching fine spatial scales of 25 to 32 centimeters per pixel. Boulders ranging up to ∼2 meters in diameter are ubiquitous in the middle
Authors
Alfred S. McEwen, C.J. Hansen, W.A. Delamere, E. M. Eliason, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, V. C. Gulick, Randolph L. Kirk, M. T. Mellon, J. A. Grant, N. Thomas, C.M. Weitz, S. W. Squyres, N.T. Bridges, S.L. Murchie, F. Seelos, K. Seelos, C.H. Okubo, M.P. Milazzo, L.L. Tornabene, W.L. Jaeger, S. Byrne, P.S. Russell, J.L. Griffes, S. Martinez-Alonso, A. Davatzes, F. C. Chuang, B.J. Thomson, K.E. Fishbaugh, C. M. Dundas, K.J. Kolb, M. E. Banks, J.J. Wray

Mars reconnaissance orbiter's high resolution imaging science experiment (HiRISE)

The HiRISE camera features a 0.5 m diameter primary mirror, 12 m effective focal length, and a focal plane system that can acquire images containing up to 28 Gb (gigabits) of data in as little as 6 seconds. HiRISE will provide detailed images (0.25 to 1.3 m/pixel) covering ∼1% of the Martian surface during the 2‐year Primary Science Phase (PSP) beginning November 2006. Most images will include col
Authors
Alfred S. McEwen, Eric M. Eliason, James W. Bergstrom, Nathan T. Bridges, Candice J. Hansen, W. Alan Delamere, John A. Grant, Virginia C. Gulick, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Randolph L. Kirk, Michael T. Mellon, Steven W. Squyres, Nicolas Thomas, Catherine M. Weitz

Evidence for montmorillonite or its compositional equivalent in Columbia Hills, Mars

During its exploration of the Columbia Hills, the Mars Exploration Rover "Spirit" encountered several similar samples that are distinctly different from Martian meteorites and known Gusev crater soils, rocks, and sediments. Occurring in a variety of contexts and locations, these "Independence class" samples are rough-textured, iron-poor (equivalent FeO ??? 4 wt%), have high Al/Si ratios, and often
Authors
B. C. Clark, R. E. Arvidson, Ralf Gellert, R.V. Morris, D. W. Ming, L. Richter, S. W. Ruff, J.R. Michalski, W. H. Farrand, A. S. Yen, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, R. Li, S. W. Squyres, C. Schroder, G. Klingelhofer, J.F. Bell

The Unified Lunar Control Network 2005

This report documents a new general unified lunar control network and lunar topographic model based on a combination of Clementine images and a previous network derived from Earth-based & Apollo photographs, and Mariner 10, & Galileo images. This photogrammetric network solution is the largest planetary control network ever completed. It includes the determination of the 3-D positions of 272,931 p
Authors
Brent A. Archinal, Mark R. Rosiek, Randolph L. Kirk, Bonnie L. Redding

Calibrated Landsat ETM+ nonthermal-band image mosaics of Afghanistan

In 2005, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency contracted with the U.S. Geological Survey to perform assessments of the natural resources within Afghanistan. The assessments concentrate on the resources that are related to the economic development of that country. Therefore, assessments were initiated in oil and gas, coal, mineral resources, water
Authors
Philip A. Davis

Overview of the Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover Mission to Meridiani Planum: Eagle Crater to Purgatory Ripple

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity touched down at Meridiani Planum in January 2004 and since then has been conducting observations with the Athena science payload. The rover has traversed more than 5 km, carrying out the first outcrop‐scale investigation of sedimentary rocks on Mars. The rocks of Meridiani Planum are sandstones formed by eolian and aqueous reworking of sand grains that are co
Authors
S. W. Squyres, R. E. Arvidson, D. Bollen, J.F. Bell, J. Brückner, N.A. Cabrol, W. M. Calvin, M. H. Carr, P. R. Christensen, B. C. Clark, L. Crumpler, D.J. Des Marais, C. D'Uston, T. Economou, J. Farmer, W.H. Farrand, W. Folkner, R. Gellert, T.D. Glotch, M. Golombek, S. Gorevan, J. A. Grant, R. Greeley, J. Grotzinger, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, S. Hviid, J. R. Johnson, G. Klingelhoefer, A.H. Knoll, G. Landis, M. Lemmon, Ron Li, M.B. Madsen, M.C. Malin, S. M. McLennan, H.Y. McSween, D. W. Ming, J. Moersch, R.V. Morris, T. Parker, J. W. Rice, L. Richter, R. Rieder, C. Schroeder, M. Sims, M. Smith, P. Smith, Laurence A. Soderblom, R. Sullivan, N.J. Tosca, H. Wänke, T. Wdowiak, M. Wolff, A. Yen

Topomapping of Mars with HRSC Images, ISIS, and a commercial stereo workstation

We demonstrate that the freely available USGS planetary cartography software package ISIS and the commercial photogrammetric software SOCET SET jointly provide a complete environment for the processing of Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) images. Capabilities include bundle adjustment, automated production and interactive editing of stereo digital terrain models (DTMs), orthomosaic
Authors
Randolph L. Kirk, Elpitha Howington-Kraus, Donna M. Galuszka, Bonnie L. Redding, Trent M. Hare