Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Eross, B..
During its active lifetime Mariner 9 obtained 32 high-resolution pictures of Phobos, and 9 of Deimos. The spacecraft orbit was adequate for about 80% complete coverage of Phobos. However, the coverage of the outer satellite was restricted to the Mars-facing side. The approaches used in processing the pictures are discussed. For each satellite picture a coordinate grid of the satellite was obtained with the aid of a computer.
A remarkable set of albedo changes has been uncovered by Mariner 9 photography of the upper slopes of the shield volcano Pavonis Mons, near its summit caldera. The most likely explanation of the event is aeolian transport of fine-grained particles. Since the atmospheric pressure in this locality is about 1.5 mb, minimum wind velocities above the surface boundary layer of about 110 m per sec are necessary, corresponding to 0.51 of the speed of sound. Slope winds in this velocity range are expected near the upper flanks of major Martian volcanic constructs.
Mariner 9 (M9) and Mariner 6 and 7 photography of common regions of Mars are compared, with appropriate attention to the photometric properties of the camera systems. The comparison provides a 2.5 yr time baseline for study of variable albedo features. We find the development of bright streaks and patches, a phenomenon unobserved through the entire M9 mission; the evolution of dark crater splotches into dark streaks; and a planetwide increase in splotchiness. Yet, a large number of splotches and albedo boundaries remain fixed over the same period. Many of the observations are interpreted in terms of a global fallout and subsequent local redistribution of bright fine particulates raised by global dust storms.