3D Mars Pics Show Planet's True Colors

Feb. 5, 2008 -- The European Space Agency (ESA) on Tuesday unveiled images of Mars in three dimensions that will help scientists understand the Red Planet's unique topography.

The Digital Terrain Model (DTM) pictures have been built up thanks to a high-resolution stereoscopic camera aboard Mars Express, the ESA orbiter. Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) allow scientists to 'stand' on planetary surfaces.

Although ordinary images can give spectacular bird's-eye views, they can only convey part of the picture. They miss out on the topography, or the vertical elevation of the surroundings. That's where Mars Express comes in.

"Understanding the topography of Mars is essential to understanding its geology," said Gerhard Neukum, Principal Investigator for the HRSC.

The onboard camera was especially designed to provide this information and, after years of specialized data processing, the first comprehensive 3D images are wowing researchers.

Mars has extraordinary canyons and plains as well as the highest known mountain in the solar system -- Mons Olympus, an extinct volcano that towers some 88,500 feet above the planet's surface.

The pictures will also help scientists trying to figure out how water once flowed across Mars.

The DTMs show contours in different colors and can be manipulated to give views from different angles or zoom in on a specific feature. The DTM can instantly tell researchers the slope of hillsides or the height of cliffs, the altitude and slope of lava flows or desert plains.

"This data is essential for understanding how water or lava flowed across Mars," says Neukum.

Related Links:

Irene Klotz's blog: Space Diary

ESA's Mars Express satellite

How Stuff Works: Mars