Search Publications
Dynamics of recent landslides (<20 My) on Mars: Insights from high-resolution topography on Earth and Mars and numerical modelling
Mangold, N.; Pajola, M.; Cremonese, G. +13 more
Landslides are common features found on steep slopes on Mars and the role of water in their formation is an open question. Our study focuses on three young martian landslides whose mechanism of formation is unknown and knowing their formation mechanism could give us key information on recent martian climate and/or tectonics. They are less than 5 k…
3DPD: A photogrammetric pipeline for a PUSH frame stereo cameras
Cremonese, G.; Thomas, N.; Pommerol, A. +5 more
An innovative photogrammetric pipeline has been developed by INAF-Padova for the processing of the stereo images from the CaSSIS (Colour and Stereo Imaging System) (Thomas et al., 2014). CaSSIS is the multispectral stereo push frame camera on board ExoMars TGO (Trace Gas Orbiter) which will image 1.5% of the Mars surface in stereo mode with a spat…
CaSSIS Color and multi-angular observations of martian slope streaks
Patel, M. R.; Pajola, M.; Cremonese, G. +12 more
Slope streaks are albedo features that form frequently on equatorial Martian slopes. Most slope streaks are dark relative to surrounding terrains, a minor fraction is bright, and there are rare transitioning streaks that exhibit a contrast reversal partway downslope. Their formation mechanisms and physical surface properties are not well understoo…
Phobos image enhancement using unpaired multi-frame acquisitions from Indian Mars Color Camera
Manthira Moorthi, S.; Misra, Indranil; Rout, Litu +3 more
The Mars Color Camera (MCC) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) captures the elusive moon of Mars, Phobos. MCC instrument is the eye of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) launched by ISRO on 05th November 2013 from the spaceport of India, Sriharikota. MCC has already provided more than 1000 images of Martian surface features covering d…
An appraisal of crustal deformation of the East Coprates Planum, Mars
Dasgupta, Dipayan; Baul, Shankhadeep
Terrestrial planets in the Solar System have been impacted by meteorites from the very beginning of their existence. Mars is a planet that preserves features of tectonic deformation as well as impact-related deformation. East Coprates Planum (ECP) is an area situated on the equatorial region located just on the south of the dichotomy boundary of M…
Synthetic topography from the decameter to the centimeter scale on Mars for scientific and rover operations of the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars mission
Wöhler, C.; Ruesch, O.; Josset, J. -L. +7 more
The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars platform and rover mission will have complex interactions with the martian surface. In order to plan and perform landing, roving and scientific operations, the morphological characteristics of the terrain surrounding the rover need to be characterized from the decameter to the centimeter spatial scale. The smallest possib…
Spatial distributions and origin of hydrated sulfate minerals at the mineral bowl in Ophir Chasma, Mars
Li, Bo; Qiao, Le; Ling, Zongcheng +9 more
Numerous occurrences of hydrated minerals (e.g., phyllosilicate, sulfate) have been found on the surface of Mars by remote sensing and in-situ exploration missions, providing strong evidence of the aqueous environment in Martian history. However, the detailed origin of these hydrated minerals is often controversial, reducing their usefulness in co…
Exploiting night-time averaged spectra from PFS/MEX shortwave channel. Part 1: Temperature retrieval from the CO2ν3 band
Vandaele, Ann Carine; Daerden, Frank; Nardi, Luca +7 more
Nadir remote sensing of the night side of Mars is challenging, mainly due to the low signal-to-noise ratio of such observations. We show in a companion paper that the abundance of carbon monoxide (CO) during night can be retrieved from the observations of the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS). This requires, however, an accurate knowledge of th…
Exploiting night-time averaged spectra from PFS/MEX shortwave channel. Part 2: Near-surface CO retrievals
Vandaele, Ann Carine; Daerden, Frank; Nardi, Luca +7 more
Because of its important role in the Martian carbon cycle, carbon monoxide (CO) has been the subject of many measurements from ground and from space. Daytime measurements have been mostly exploited to measure the CO abundance because of their good signal-to-noise ratio, but night-time observations have not been documented yet. We demonstrate here …
On the cryogenic nature of the large hills of Mars
Yakovlev, Valeriy; Horelik, Stanislav; Lytvynenko, Yuliia
The nature of large hills in the Martian equatorial regions like Zephyria Planum and the southern part of Elysium Planitia has not been studied, despite the fact that they have characteristic similar shapes and sharply contrast with the surrounding lava plains. The paper develops the previously proposed view on the permafrost injection nature of t…