Research Mentor(s)
Dr. Melissa Rice
Description
Mastcam is a camera on the Curiosity rover that takes multispectral images of rock and soil on Mars. 9 rock spectral classes and 5 soil spectral classes are identified in Gale Crater. Rock classes are dominated by spectral differences attributed to hematite and other oxides and are mostly confined to specific stratigraphic members. Soil classes fall along a mixing line between soil spectra dominated by fine-grained Fe-oxides and those dominated by olivine-bearing sands. Here, we focus on mapping this multispectral data onto a Gale Crater base map in ArcPro. No previous studies have mapped the distribution of Mastcam’s multispectral data across the Curiosity traverse. Mapping multispectral variations will create a visualization for how rock and soil classes are distributed along Curiosity’s traverse and can be compared to distributions of spectral features observed in orbital spectra and ChemCam passive data. Georeferencing this multispectral data will help enable quantitative cross-comparisons between datasets in the future, and ultimately a better understanding the composition of Gale Crater.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
May 2022
End Date
May 2022
Location
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
Department
CSE - Geology
Genre/Form
student projects; posters
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Mapping Mastcams Multispectral Rock and Soil Classes Along Gale Crater
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
Mastcam is a camera on the Curiosity rover that takes multispectral images of rock and soil on Mars. 9 rock spectral classes and 5 soil spectral classes are identified in Gale Crater. Rock classes are dominated by spectral differences attributed to hematite and other oxides and are mostly confined to specific stratigraphic members. Soil classes fall along a mixing line between soil spectra dominated by fine-grained Fe-oxides and those dominated by olivine-bearing sands. Here, we focus on mapping this multispectral data onto a Gale Crater base map in ArcPro. No previous studies have mapped the distribution of Mastcam’s multispectral data across the Curiosity traverse. Mapping multispectral variations will create a visualization for how rock and soil classes are distributed along Curiosity’s traverse and can be compared to distributions of spectral features observed in orbital spectra and ChemCam passive data. Georeferencing this multispectral data will help enable quantitative cross-comparisons between datasets in the future, and ultimately a better understanding the composition of Gale Crater.