Visualisation of very high resolution Martian topographic data and its application on landing site selection and rover route navigation

High resolution satellite imagery acquired from orbiters are able to provide detailed topographic information and therefore are recognised as an important tool for investigating planetary and terrestrial topography. The heritage of in-orbit high resolution imaging technology is now implemented in a series of Martian Missions, such as HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) and CTX (Context Camera) onboard the MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). In order to fully utilise the data derived from image systems carried on various Mars orbiters, the generalised algorithms of image processing and photogrammetric Mars DTM extraction have been developed and implemented by Kim and Muller (2009), in which non-rigorous sensor model and hierarchical geomatics control were employed. Due to the successful “from medium to high” control strategy performed during processing, stable horizontal and vertical photogrammetric accuracy of resultant Mars DTM was achievable when compared with MOLA (Mars Obiter Laser Altimeter) DTM. Recently, the algorithms developed in Kim and Muller (2009) were further updated by employing advanced image matcher and improved sensor model. As the photogrammetric qualities of the updated topographic products are verified and the spatial solution can be up to sub-meter scale, they are of great value to be exploited for Martian rover landing site selection and rover route navigation. To this purpose, the DTMs and ortho-rectified imagery obtained from CTX and HiRISE covering potential future rovers and existing MER (Mars Exploration Rover) landing sites were firstly processed. For landing site selection, the engineering constraints such as slope and surface roughness were computed from DTMs. In addition, the combination of virtual topography and the estimated rover location was able to produce a sophisticated environment simulation of rover’s landing site. Regarding the rover navigation, the orbital DTMs and the images taken from cameras installed on the rover were used. Along with close range photogrammetric techniques, the rover location and also traverse navigation could be solved. A virtual reality (VR) system is useful to support decisions of landing site selection and rover traverse determination. Hence the topographic data were indigested into a powerful VR system which is provided by Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI). As the VR system is established based on high speed parallel processors, high definition 3D display, control pointer and visualisation packages, a full-scale, seamless and real-time visualisation of Mars virtual environment is realised. In addition to the Mars rover applications described above, the VR scheme implemented in this research will also give great opportunities for scientific research in geology and geomorphology. Kim, J. R., and Muller, J-P., (2009). Multi-resolution topographic data extraction from Martian stereo imagery, Planetary and Space Science, 57 (15), 2095-2112.