Using data from ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, planetary scientists created a 1:30,000-scale geological map of the Oxian Plain, the landing site for ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission. Created.
Faudon other. Created the most detailed geological map of Oxia Planitia, the Mars landing site for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover. Image credit: Faudon other., doi: 10.1080/17445647.2024.2302361.
Oxia Planum Located on the northern edge of Arabian Terra, it preserves a record of the diverse geological processes that shaped the region.
It is a transitional region between the cratered Arabian Terra and the young lowland plain of the Chryse Planitia.
“Oxia Planum is located near the Martian equator and contains deposits that are nearly 4 billion years old,” said Open University researcher Peter Faudon and colleagues.
“On a geological scale, this would be the oldest landing site ever visited by a spacecraft on Mars.”
“This region is rich in clay minerals that form due to the presence of water. These rocks are ideal for preserving evidence of the earliest forms of life. This makes it possible to predict that life once existed on Mars. It’s a great place to look for clues as to whether this is the case.”
To map the Oxian Plains, the authors used several instruments, including the Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). We used data from.
This map details 15 rock units classified into 6 groups and 7 textural and surface units.
“This map includes the main types of rock and structures with unique shapes, such as ridges and craters,” the researchers said.
“It also features materials that are placed on top, blown by the wind or blown long distances when a meteorite hits the Earth’s surface, for example.”
The result is the highest-resolution map of the Oxian plains to date at a scale of 1:25000, where 1 centimeter corresponds to 250 meters on the surface of Mars.
Average daily driving time is 25-50 minutes. rosalind franklin rover On the map it is 1-2 mm.
“This map is really interesting because it’s a guide to where the answers are,” Dr. Faudon said.
“This serves as a visual hypothesis for what we currently know about the different rocks at the landing site.”
“With the instruments on board the Rosalind Franklin rover, you can test your knowledge on the fly when the time comes.”
of result Published in map journal.
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peter faudon other. 2024. High-resolution map of the Oxian Plains on Mars. Landing site for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission. map journal 20(1); doi: 10.1080/17445647.2024.2302361
Source: www.sci.news
