Planetary Science Short Course

Planetary Image Interpretation and Mapping

Introduction

The purpose of this module is to introduce concepts of planetary image interpretation which are the foundation of our current understanding of planetary geology and surface processes.

HERE is an example of what we will be doing (Word document).

HERE is another example (Powerpoint document).


Images

The following images are examples of what we will be doing. I will work through one, and then we will look at others together.

Mars context image 1

Mars context image 2

Elysium THEMIS image

Elysium geology

Moon context image

Archimedes LO4 image

Archimedes geology

Mars context image 3

Tempe THEMIS image

Tempe geology

Mercury MESSENGER image

Mercury geology


Assignment

An image is provided for you on paper, in a low contrast version for mapping and a high contrast version for interpretation. It's also linked to here:

Mapping image, low contrast

Mapping image, high contrast

Context map

This is a Mars Odyssey THEMIS infrared image mosaic of an area of Mars at 13 degrees south, 215 degrees east. Cratered highlands to the west are part of Terra Sirenum, and the plains to the west are Daedalia Planum. The image is about 600 km across (long dimension).

Your assignment: make a geological map from the image, identifying a reasonable number of different types of material. Give them names, descriptions and interpretations in table format. Arrange in chronological order and give a verbal description of the history of the area. You can give unofficial placenames or letters or numbers to individual features if it makes your description clearer.


Links to Resources


NASA's Planetary Data System


Lunar and Planetary Institute lunar atlases

Full Lunar Orbiter image set

USGS restored Lunar Orbiter images

Lunar Orbiter images at Arizona State University

Apollo images at Arizona State University

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter images at Arizona State University


Mars images from several missions.

Mars global datasets.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter images

Mars Express images

Mars Global Surveyor MOC images)


Galileo - moons of Jupiter - press releases

Cassini - moons of Saturn - press releases

Raw Cassini images


NEAR images of asteroid 433 Eros

Hayabusa images of asteroid 25143 Itokawa

Dawn mission images of asteroid 4 Vesta


Basic Mission Information

USGS maps with placenames

Map-A-Planet... make your own custom maps

Many more links - from another of my courses