Coupling Mars Ground and Orbital Views: Generate Viewsheds of Mastcam Images From the Curiosity Rover, Using ArcGIS® and Public Datasets
Abstract The Mastcam (Mast Camera) instrument onboard the NASA Curiosity rover provides an exclusive view of Mars: High‐resolution color images from Mastcam allow users to study Gale crater's geologic terrains along Curiosity's path. These ground observations complement the spatially broad...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Earth and Space Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001247 |
| _version_ | 1818457610649600000 |
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| author | M. Nachon S. Borges R. C. Ewing F. Rivera‐Hernández N. Stein J. K. Van Beek |
| author_facet | M. Nachon S. Borges R. C. Ewing F. Rivera‐Hernández N. Stein J. K. Van Beek |
| author_sort | M. Nachon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Mastcam (Mast Camera) instrument onboard the NASA Curiosity rover provides an exclusive view of Mars: High‐resolution color images from Mastcam allow users to study Gale crater's geologic terrains along Curiosity's path. These ground observations complement the spatially broader views of Gale crater provided by spacecrafts from orbit. However, for a given Mastcam image, it can be challenging to locate the corresponding terrains on the orbital view. No method for locating Mastcam images onto orbital images had been made publicly available. The procedure presented here allows users to generate Mastcam image viewsheds, using ArcGIS® software, its built‐in Viewshed tool®, and public Mars datasets. This procedure locates onto Mars orbital view the terrains that are observed in a given Mastcam image. Because this procedure uses public datasets, it is applicable to available Mastcam images and to the future ones that will be acquired along the Curiosity rover's path. This procedure can be used by the public to assess scientific questions regarding Martian surface processes and geologic history. In addition, this procedure can be utilized as pedagogic GIS material by the Geosciences or Planetary Sciences communities, for enhancing students' skillsets in GIS and provide students with experience working with datasets from both orbiter and rover Mars missions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T22:45:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cbd73fbdc0ff45d9b89100eec8782ef1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2333-5084 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T22:45:18Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth and Space Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-cbd73fbdc0ff45d9b89100eec8782ef12022-12-21T22:44:52ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Earth and Space Science2333-50842020-09-0179n/an/a10.1029/2020EA001247Coupling Mars Ground and Orbital Views: Generate Viewsheds of Mastcam Images From the Curiosity Rover, Using ArcGIS® and Public DatasetsM. Nachon0S. Borges1R. C. Ewing2F. Rivera‐Hernández3N. Stein4J. K. Van Beek5Department of Geology and Geophysics Texas A&M University College Station TX USADepartment of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences—College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USADepartment of Geology and Geophysics Texas A&M University College Station TX USADepartment of Earth Sciences Dartmouth College Hanover NH USADivision of Geological and Planetary Sciences California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA USAMalin Space Science Systems San Diego CA USAAbstract The Mastcam (Mast Camera) instrument onboard the NASA Curiosity rover provides an exclusive view of Mars: High‐resolution color images from Mastcam allow users to study Gale crater's geologic terrains along Curiosity's path. These ground observations complement the spatially broader views of Gale crater provided by spacecrafts from orbit. However, for a given Mastcam image, it can be challenging to locate the corresponding terrains on the orbital view. No method for locating Mastcam images onto orbital images had been made publicly available. The procedure presented here allows users to generate Mastcam image viewsheds, using ArcGIS® software, its built‐in Viewshed tool®, and public Mars datasets. This procedure locates onto Mars orbital view the terrains that are observed in a given Mastcam image. Because this procedure uses public datasets, it is applicable to available Mastcam images and to the future ones that will be acquired along the Curiosity rover's path. This procedure can be used by the public to assess scientific questions regarding Martian surface processes and geologic history. In addition, this procedure can be utilized as pedagogic GIS material by the Geosciences or Planetary Sciences communities, for enhancing students' skillsets in GIS and provide students with experience working with datasets from both orbiter and rover Mars missions.https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001247Mars orbital and in situ imagesGISCuriosity rover Mastcam images |
| spellingShingle | M. Nachon S. Borges R. C. Ewing F. Rivera‐Hernández N. Stein J. K. Van Beek Coupling Mars Ground and Orbital Views: Generate Viewsheds of Mastcam Images From the Curiosity Rover, Using ArcGIS® and Public Datasets Earth and Space Science Mars orbital and in situ images GIS Curiosity rover Mastcam images |
| title | Coupling Mars Ground and Orbital Views: Generate Viewsheds of Mastcam Images From the Curiosity Rover, Using ArcGIS® and Public Datasets |
| title_full | Coupling Mars Ground and Orbital Views: Generate Viewsheds of Mastcam Images From the Curiosity Rover, Using ArcGIS® and Public Datasets |
| title_fullStr | Coupling Mars Ground and Orbital Views: Generate Viewsheds of Mastcam Images From the Curiosity Rover, Using ArcGIS® and Public Datasets |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coupling Mars Ground and Orbital Views: Generate Viewsheds of Mastcam Images From the Curiosity Rover, Using ArcGIS® and Public Datasets |
| title_short | Coupling Mars Ground and Orbital Views: Generate Viewsheds of Mastcam Images From the Curiosity Rover, Using ArcGIS® and Public Datasets |
| title_sort | coupling mars ground and orbital views generate viewsheds of mastcam images from the curiosity rover using arcgis r and public datasets |
| topic | Mars orbital and in situ images GIS Curiosity rover Mastcam images |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001247 |
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