The Mariner 9 Primary Control Net of Mars,
Abstract
A planetwide control net of Mars is being derived photogrammetrically from the television pictures that were returned by Mariner 9. Such a control net is required by cartographers to relate the coordinate system to landmarks and topography. Although the pictures cover the entire Mars surface, there are gaps in the low-resulution coverage. The vidicon camera, which produced the photos used in the control net computations, is a poor instrument for photogrammetric analysis because the electronic distortions are large and the format is small. The coordinate system incorporates a new direction for the spin axis of Mars, a prime meridian defined by a particular crater (Airy-O) on the surface, and a particular reference spheroid for areographic coordinates. The computation of the primary control net is a continuing project; as of April 1973 it contained 1340 control points. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0768245
Entities
People
- Merton E. Davies
Organizations
- RAND Corporation