Camera-Based Remote Sensing on Mars and Io

Abstract

This dissertation explores two places in the Solar System. The first part describes the exploration of Mars through instrument calibration, terrain reconstruction, and stratigraphic interpretation of deltaic deposits in Jezero Crater, Mars, using the Mastcam-Z instrument on Mars 2020. The second part examines the volcanic outburst events on Jupiter’s moon, Io. The first uses rover images taken less than 2 meters off the ground, and the latter uses telescopic images taken from almost a billion kilometers from their target. This range of scales requires a complimentary range of image processing and computer vision techniques to interpret the visual information in physical terms. This work advances the fields of camera calibration, stereo reconstruction, and planetary surface processes.