Publications

The topographic and geologic characteristics of grooves and groove-like features in the south polar layered deposits near the Mars Polar Lander/Deep Space 2 landing sites are evaluated using Mariner 9 images and their derived photoclinometry, normalized using Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data. Although both Mariner 9 and Viking images of the south polar layered deposits were available at the time

Blind field tests of the Field Integration Design and Operations (FIDO) prototype Mars rover were carried out 7-16 May 2000. A Core Operations Team (COT), sequestered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory without knowledge of test site location, prepared command sequences and interpreted data acquired by the rover. Instrument sensors included a stereo panoramic camera, navigational and hazard-avoidance

Digitization and cartographic processing of 5 Lunar Orbiter (LO) IV frames (109H, 110H, 114H, 115H, and 114M) are now complete, and these data are available online at http://wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/USGSFlag/Space/LunarOrbiter/lunorbWebtop.html. Coverage ofthese data extends from Eratosthenes crater on the west to Mare Serenitatis in the east, and from Aristoteles crater in the north to Rima Hyginus in

The Magellan spacecraft went into Venus orbit in 1990 and by 1992 had made three complete cycles of polar orbits, each cycle covering the full range of longitudes. During this time the spacecraft obtained synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of >96% of the planet at a resolution of 75 m/pixel. Images taken with a decreased look angle from vertical, primarily during Cycle 3, provide stereo coverag

In this abstract we report on our initial experiences performing stereotopographic mapping of Mars with high-resolution images from the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Narrow-Angle subsystem (MGS MOC-NA; [1]). Accurate topographic information, and, in particular, high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) are of intense interest at all phases of Mars exploration and scientific invest

During the Clementine Mission both oblique and vertical multispectral images were collected. The oblique and vertical images from a single spectral band collected during the same orbit form a stereo pair that can be used to derive the topography. These stereo pairs were used to derive the topography of an area surrounding the lunar South Pole (90°S - 64°S latitude) and North Pole (90°N - 64°N lati

In 2003, NASA is planning to send two robotic rover vehicles to explore the surface of Mars. The spacecraft will land on airbags in different, carefully chosen locations. The search for evidence indicating conditions favorable for past or present life will be a high priority. Each rover will carry a total of ten cameras of five various types. There will be a stereo pair of color panoramic cameras,

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Flagstaff, Arizona is producing a Web-based, user-friendly interface that integrates powerful Geographic Information Systems (GIS) statistical and spatial relational tools for analyses of planetary datasets. The interface, known as “Planetary Interactive GIS-on-the-Web Analyzable Database” (PIGWAD), provides database support for the research and academ

An international flotilla of spacecraft are to be sent to Mars over the next decade in an effort to understand the planet's geology and climate history, and to determine whether some form of life ever started there. At least two spacecraft will be sent at each launch opportunity, and at times up to four spacecraft may be operating simultaneously at the planet.

The USGS is producing digital elevation models (DEM) and topographic maps of Mars at scales of 1:250,000 to 1:1,000,000. The initial source material will be Viking Orbiter images, with a later transition to Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) when stereo coverage from that source is available for topographic mapping. The digital terrain models and topographic maps produced by this

An important theme of our work is the synergistic use of a variety of geodetic, cartographic, and photogrammetric software packages. The USGS digital cartographic software system ISIS provides most of the processing capability needed for planimetric mapping tasks such as our revision of the global digital image mosaic of Mars (MDIM).  The geodetic control network on which this mosaic is based was

The enormous pre-Nectarian South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin represents a geophysically and compositionally unique region on the Moon. We present and analyze the mineralogical diversity across this basin and discuss the implications for basin evolution. Rock types are derived from Clementine multispectral data based on diagnostic characteristics of ferrous absorptions in fresh materials. Individual ar