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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ Mercury _ MLA data

Posted by: Ittiz Mar 7 2014, 09:29 PM

I'm a bit disappointed with the limited altitude data from the MLA. The northern hemisphere only. As some of you may know I create artistic renditions of the planets based on the data. I heard somewhere (maybe on here) that that will fill out the southern hemisphere using the same method (deriving the elevation data from photographs) that was used on the polar regions of the moon. Anyone have any idea when/if that's going to happen? As it is I will only be able to make an image from over the north. Rather limiting if you ask me.

Posted by: Phil Stooke Mar 7 2014, 09:45 PM

Fear not, Ittiz, you will get a very nice global DEM. I am also eager to have it for a future map I want to make.

The orbit couldn't be circular for thermal management reasons, and the periapsis had to be over a pole (lowest point over coolest area to reduce heat radiation from the surface) so it had to see one pole better than the other and MLA could only map one hemisphere. But global stereo imaging will give an excellent dataset - actually higher resolution that the MLA would achieve. Stereo imaging is great for small features but can miss broad regional variations, so MLA corrects for that problem in the north, and analysis of limb images (plus occultations) will do it (less well) in the south.

You might like to see this LPSC abstract:

http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2014/pdf/2243.pdf

No word on date of release but there 's still work to do on it. But the stereo data will be MUCH better than MLA.

Phil

Posted by: Ittiz Mar 7 2014, 10:15 PM

Wow good to hear Phil, I'm glad someone is working on it. The data in that paper looks pretty good so far. Although usually I need it in a somewhat raw form. Usually I download the raw img file and load it into a program at 16bit gray scale. Can't wait till they release the data

Posted by: 4th rock from the sun Mar 7 2014, 11:24 PM

Good news!

Looking forward to update my Mercury topography ( http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=6070 ) for a well known free space simulator.

Posted by: JohnVV Mar 8 2014, 07:01 AM

the tiny hdem_2.img at 2ppd is not much ,nor is the 64ppd
if it is anything like the LRO-WAC stereo data it will be something nice