HR: 0800h
AN: P21A-0214    [Abstracts]
TI: The HRSC Experiment on Mars Express: First Imaging Results from the Commissioning Phase
AU: * Oberst, J
EM: Juergen.Oberst@dlr.de
AF: Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Rutherfordstr. 2, Berlin, D-12489 Germany
AU: Neukum, G
EM: gneukum@zedat.fu-berlin.de
AF: Remote Sensing of the Earth and Planets, Freie Universit\"at Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, Berlin, 12249 Germany
AU: Hoffmann, H
EM: harald.hoffmann@dlr.de
AF: Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Rutherfordstr. 2, Berlin, D-12489 Germany
AU: Jaumann, R
EM: Ralf.Jaumann@dlr.de
AF: Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Rutherfordstr. 2, Berlin, D-12489 Germany
AU: Hauber, E
EM: ernst.hauber@dlr.de
AF: Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Rutherfordstr. 2, Berlin, D-12489 Germany
AU: Albertz, J
EM: albertz@fpk.tu-berlin.de
AF: Technical University Berlin, Strasse des 17. Juni 135, Berlin, 10623 Germany
AU: McCord, T B
EM: mccordtb@aol.com
AF: Planetary Science Institute, 22 Fiddler's Road P.O. Box 667, Winthrop, WA 98862 United States
AU: Markiewicz, W J
EM: markiewicz@linmpi.mpg.de
AF: Max-Planck-Institute of Aeronomy, Max-Planck-Strasse 2, Katlenburg-Lindau, 37191
AB: The ESA Mars Express spacecraft was launched from Baikonur on June 2, 2003, entered Mars orbit on December 25, 2003, and reached the nominal mapping orbit on January 28, 2004. Observing conditions were favorable early on for the HRSC (High Resolution Stereo Camera), designed for the mapping of the Martian surface in 3-D. The HRSC is a pushbroom scanner with 9 CCD line detectors mounted in parallel and perpendicular to the direction of flight on the focal plane. The camera can obtain images at high resolution (10 m/pix), in triple stereo (20 m/pix), in four colors, and at five different phase angles near-simultaneously. An additional Super-Resolution Channel (SRC) yields nested-in images at 2.3 m/pix for detailed photogeologic studies. Even for nominal spacecraft trajectory and camera pointing data from the commissioning phase, solid stereo image reconstructions are feasible. More yet, the three-line stereo data allow us to identify and correct errors in navigation data. We find that $>$ 99% of the stereo rays intersect within a sphere of radius $<$ 20m after orbit and pointing data correction. From the HRSC images we have produced Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) with pixel sizes of 200 m, some of them better. HRSC stereo models and data obtained by the MOLA (Mars Orbiting Laser Altimeter) show good qualitative agreement. Differences in absolute elevations are within 50 m, but may reach several 100 m in lateral positioning (mostly in the spacecraft along-track direction). After correction of these offsets, the HRSC topographic data conveniently fill the gaps between the MOLA tracks and reveal hitherto unrecognized morphologic detail. At the time of writing, the HRSC has covered approx. 22.5 million square kilometers of the Martian surface. In addition, data from 5 Phobos flybys from May through August 2004 were obtained. The HRSC is beginning to make major contributions to geoscience, atmospheric science, photogrammetry, and cartography of Mars (papers submitted to Nature).
DE: 5464 Remote sensing
DE: 5494 Instruments and techniques
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting