Surface roughness of Mars
Name
56733837-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
1.21 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
6dccca68ab4c41a5afaadd96c35532a6
Author(s)
Mamo, Andrew Benedict, 1982-
Advisor(s)
Maria T. Zuber.
Date Issued
2004
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
In this thesis, I created an algorithm to compensate for the saturation of data collected by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). Saturation of the energy measurements had made it impossible to measure surface roughness at 100 m length scales. By calculating the returned energy, the problem of saturation can be avoided. This algorithm was applied to MOLA data across the Martian surface to create an estimate of surface roughness across the planet. The method calculates pulse spreading from returned pulse energy using the link equation. The accuracy of the method is limited by the accuracy of albedo measurements. This analysis improved the estimation of surface roughness on Mars. Further improvements could be gained by correcting for the opacity of atmospheric dust as a cause of pulse spreading.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-36).
Subjects
Physics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
