Space: May 12, 2005

Archives

Satellite photography techniques developed for use over Mars since 2004 have been quietly used for years by the U.S. military and other countries. The Mars Global Surveyor went into orbit around Mars in 1997 and has been snapping pictures of the planet ever since, including photographing the landing sites of the Viking landers, and the currently operational Spirit and Opportunity Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs). 

The camera aboard Mars Global Surveyor weighs in at about 46 pounds, and are 34 inches long and 15 inches in diameter. In normal operational use, it is capable of imaging objects of up to 1.5 meters per pixel, meaning that you can pick out an object of 4-5 meters across. However, the camera operators have developed a technique of rolling the spacecraft along its flight path to "slow down" the camera in sync with the rotation of the planet, allowing it to effectively stay positioned over a target area longer. This boosts picture resolution of up to 0.5 meters per pixel, allowing objects as small as 1.5 meters to be seen on the surface of Mars about the size of an Mars Rover. 

While distances and atmospheric conditions between Mars and Earth aren't quite the same, the basic technique can be used to effectively improve the imaging capacity of any satellite by a factor of three. India has quietly used the technique to squeeze better pictures out of their earth observation satellites, getting 1 to 2 meter resolution out of cameras designed to deliver 2-3 meter resolution in normal operation. The satellites essentially serve double-duty, monitoring the environment and crops for the civilian sector and providing more detailed imagery of Pakistan, China, and other potential conflict areas. Doug Mohney

 


Article Archive

Space: Current 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 


X

ad
0
20

Help Keep Us Soaring

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month.

Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage. A contribution is not a donation that you can deduct at tax time, but a form of crowdfunding. We store none of your information when you contribute..
Subscribe   Contribute   Close