Click here to open the HRSC Data Browser.
To download the complete HRSC images go to the Planetary Science Archive (ESA) or Planetary Data System (NASA).
To download the HRSC fact sheet providing further detailed information, useful links, software suggestions, and many more please click here.
HRSC is a High Resolution Stereo Camera onboard the ESA's Mars Express spacecraft in orbit around Mars. This instrument provides high spatial resolution images of the Martian surface in 3D, and in full color. It was developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and built in cooperation with industrial partners (EADS Astrium, Lewicki Microelectronic GmbH and Jena-Optronik GmbH). An airborne version of the HRSC camera, the HRSC-AX, is used to investigate terrestrial analogues (see the DLR Svalbard Campaign theme). The HRSC experiment is led by the Principal Investigator (PI) Prof. Dr Ralf Jaumann (FU Berlin). The science team of the experiment consists of 51 Co-Investigators from 33 institutions and 11 nations. Since its first data acquirements in January 2004, the camera provided the basis for extensive studies of the surface structure and morphology on local, regional and global scales using the photogeologic information from the image, the topographic information from the digital terrain model and spectral terrain information from color images (Jaumann et al., 2007). HRSC made a major contribution to the topographic mapping of Mars.
The HRSC instrument
The HRSC is a multi-sensor push broom instrument composed of 9 CCD line sensors mounted in parallel for simultaneous high-resolution stereo, multicolor and multi-phase imaging by delivering 9 superimposed image swaths (Neukum, et al., 2004) (Figure 1).
The stereo imaging is produced by 3 to 5 panchromatic channels including a nadir-directed, forward and aft-looking (±18.9°), and 2 inner (±12.8°) stereo line sensors. Their spectral range covers 675±90 nm (width at half-maximum). The along-track acquisition of stereo imagery avoids changes in atmospheric and illumination conditions, which so far have caused problems in the photogrammetric evaluation of stereo images acquired at different observing times (Jaumann et al., 2007). The triple to quintuple stereo images permit robust stereo reconstruction, yielding digital terrain models (DTMs) at a vertical accuracy of up to one pixel. The 5 panchromatic images are also used for multi-phase imaging allowing the determination of photometric surface characteristics.
Multispectral imaging is realized by four line sensors in the blue, green, red and near-infrared color ranges (440±45 nm, 530±45 nm, 750±20 nm, 970±45nm).
The HRSC instrument is also equipped of a Super Resolution Channel (SRC) telescope imaging the surface at 2.35 m/pixel (at the nominal periapsis altitude of 250 km).
The HRSC spatial resolution is 10 m/pixel at the nominal periapsis altitude of 250 km, with an image swath of 53 km. Until April 2009, HRSC achieved about 50% coverage of the surface with resolutions better than 20 m/pixel. The following figures display different HRSC products acquired in the region of Hebes Chasma in Valles Marineris, which is the biggest canyon system in the solar system (Figure 2).
Nadir panchromatic and color images
Digital Terrain Models (DTM),ortho-images, and anaglyphs
The HRSC DTMs derived by stereo-photogrammetry have a grid size of 200 m that can reach up to 50 m and a vertical accuracy up to 10 m. Ortho-images are high-level topographic data products derived from the differential rectification of the original imagery based on previously derived HRSC DTMs (Scholten et al., 2005).
Last update: 26/11/2014 09:26
