VIPER Lunar Surface Simulator
Overview of synthetic lunar terrain generation methods used for the Resource Prospector and Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover projects.
simulation↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “terrain modelling”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Planetary Rover Simulation for Lunar Exploration Missions
Overview of synthetic lunar terrain generation methods used for the Resource Prospector and Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover projects.
simulation↗
AI4MARS: A Dataset for Terrain-Aware Autonomy on Mars
Deep learning has quickly become a necessity for selfdriving vehicles on Earth. In contrast, the self-driving vehicles on Mars, including NASA’s latest rover, Perseverance, which is planned to land on Mars in February 2021, are still driven by classical machine vision systems. Deep learning capabilities, such as semantic segmentation and object recognition, would substantially benefit the safety and productivity of ongoing and future missions to the red planet. To this end, we created the first large-scale dataset, AI4Mars, for training and validating terrain classification models for Mars, consisting of ~326K semantic segmentation full image labels on 35K images from Curiosity, Opportunity, and Spirit rovers, collected through crowdsourcing. Each image was labeled by ~10 people to ensure greater quality and agreement of the crowdsourced labels. It also includes ~1.5K validation labels annotated by the rover planners and scientists from NASA’s MSL (Mars Science Laboratory) mission, which operates the Curiosity rover, and MER (Mars Exploration Rovers) mission, which operated the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. We trained a DeepLabv3 model on the AI4Mars training dataset and achieved over 96% overall classification accuracy on the test set. The dataset is made publicly available.1
Ono, Hiro↗
NASA Lunar Terrain Visualization in Unreal Engine 5
Provide information detailing how NASA utilizes Unreal Engine 5 to generate and visualize accurate lunar terrain.
Lunar↗
Digital Lunar Exploration Sites Unreal Simulation Tool (DUST)
NASA’s future Artemis missions to the Moon seek to explore areas around the Lunar South Pole. Though humans have previously set foot on the lunar surface, the proposed region provides unique and challenging environments that require insight and investigation prior to arrival. Several teams throughout the agency are performing this site and mission planning, design, and analysis to support areas like the Human Landing System (HLS), surface mobility, habitation elements, and scientific exploration.
Lunar↗
Neural Radiance Fields for Shadow Removal and Relighting of Satellite Imagery
Multi-view stereo photogrammetric techniques have been conventionally utilized to generate Global Digital Elevation Models (GDEM) of planetary and lunar surfaces. However, these methods, relying on conventional feature detectors, are often subject to inaccuracies caused by changes in lighting conditions, including diffuse reflection and harsh shading. This has limited the ability of these methods to accurately reconstruct shadowed regions in orbital imagery, such as highly shaded urban areas and the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) located in the lunar surface, which are critical targets for NASA's Artemis program. Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) offer a novel solution to these limitations by breaking away from traditional photogrammetric assumptions of ridged, opaque surfaces. NeRFs are capable of reconstructing 3D objects with variably transmissive properties, such as fluids, PSRs, and reflective surfaces. In this work, we demonstrate the robustness of NeRFs in generating high-fidelity 3D models of terrain from highly shaded orbital imagery acquired from small satellites in low earth orbit (LEO). Our results showcase the ability of NeRF to overcome the limitations of traditional photogrammetric methods and provide a promising solution for reconstructing complex scenes in challenging lighting conditions.
Caleb Ashmore Adams↗
Accurate Vegetation Subtraction Tools for Disparate Data Products
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
58 GEOSCIENCES↗
Lunar surface models NASA space vehicle design criteria /Environment/
Engineering models of lunar topography including dielectric, optical, terrain, and crater models
Source record↗
The information content of synthetic aperture radar images of terrain
A statistical model is developed that portrays an imaging radar as a noisy communication channel with multiplicative noise, and the model is used to evaluate the average amount of information that can be extracted about a target from its radar image. The average information content is also used to define a measure of radiometric resolution for radar images. It is shown that the information content and the resolution capabilities of an imaging radar reach a limit beyond which an increase in scene dynamic range does not improve the information content or the resolution. This limitation results from the multiplicative nature of the noise introduced in the imaging process.
Frost, V. S.↗
The Mars water cycle at other epochs - Recent history of the polar caps and layered terrain
A numerical model is presented of the integrated role of seasonal water cycle on the evolution of polar deposits on Mars over the last 10 million years. From the model, it is concluded that the only major difference between the polar caps which affects their long-term behavior is ultimately the difference in their elevations. Because of that difference, there is a preference for CO2 frost to stay longer on the northern polar cap. The average difference in sublimation at the caps results in a net south-to-north transport of water ice over long time scales. Superimposed on any long-term behavior is a transfer of water ice between the caps on the 10 exp 5 - 10 exp 6 yr time scales. The amount of water exchanged is small compared to the total ice content of the polar deposits.
Jakosky, Bruce M.↗
Assessment of global and regional tectonic models for faulting in the ancient terrains of Mars
The structural mapping of tectonic landforms on Mars has provided a great deal of information regarding the planet's tectonic history. The present paper has the objective to test models of regional and global fracturing by evaluating the spatial distribution and orientation of the ancient heavily cratered terrain (HCT) structural landforms. Attention is given to background information concerning earlier studies, landform selection and analysis, rose diagrams, tests for Tharsis generation, and a calculation of thermal stress in the early Martian lithosphere. The contribution of classical Tharsis-centered tectonism to the production of HCT structural landforms was found to be very small. Few structural landforms investigated are either perpendicular to calculated principal stress trajectories or radial to Tharsis.
Schultz, R. A.↗
Tessera terrain on Venus: Implications of tessera flooding models and boundary characteristics for global distribution and mode of formation
Mapping of tessera terrain using Magellan global high-resolution data has shown that it comprises about 10 percent of the surface area of Venus, is not randomly distributed, is extremely highly deformed relative to intervening plains, lies at a wide range of elevations, is embayed by and largely predates adjacent volcanic plains, is generally negatively correlated with broad lowlands and volcanic rises, may underlie a considerable percentage of the superposed volcanic plains, and has linear/tectonic margins for about 27 percent of its boundaries. In this paper, we investigate further the distribution and origin of tessera through analysis of the changing nature of tessera occurrences during sequential flooding, and assessment of the nature and distribution of Type 2 (linear/tectonic) tessera boundaries.
Head, James W.↗
Standoff Infrared Measurements of Chemical Plume Dynamics in Complex Terrain Using a Combination of Active Swept-ECQCL Laser Spectroscopy with Passive Hyperspectral Imaging
Chemical plume detection and modeling in complex terrain present numerous challenges. We present experimental results from outdoor releases of two chemical tracers (sulfur hexafluoride and Freon-152a) from different locations in mountainous terrain. Chemical plumes were detected using two standoff instruments collocated at a distance of 1.5 km from the plume releases. A passive long-wave infrared hyperspectral imaging system was used to show time- and space-resolved plume transport in regions near the source. An active infrared swept-wavelength external cavity quantum cascade laser system was used in a standoff configuration to measure quantitative chemical column densities with high time resolution and high sensitivity along a single measurement path. Both instruments provided chemical-specific detection of the plumes and provided complementary information over different temporal and spatial scales. The results show highly variable plume propagation dynamics near the release points, strongly dependent on the local topography and winds. Effects of plume stagnation, plume splitting, and plume mixing were all observed and are explained based on local topographic and wind conditions. Measured plume column densities at distances ~100 m from the release point show temporal fluctuations over ~1 s time scales and spatial variations over ~1 m length scales. The results highlight the need for high-speed and spatially resolved measurement techniques to provide validation data at the relevant spatial and temporal scales required for high-fidelity terrain-aware microscale plume propagation models.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
Remote sensing applications to hydrologic modeling
An energy balance snowmelt model for rugged terrain was devised and coupled to a flow model. A literature review of remote sensing applications to hydrologic modeling was included along with a software development outline.
Dozier, J.↗
Lunar Terrain Mapping Using 3D Software and Modeling Techniques for the Glenn Research Center Communication Analysis Suite
As NASA prepares to return humans to the Moon as part of upcoming Artemis missions, engineers must examine the surface features and safety of lunar terrain at various locations. The Glenn Research Center Communication Analysis Suite (GCAS) includes visualization tools developed to aid scientists in this quest to comprehend lunar terrain data, as well as spatial communication information. Visual information and understanding will be highly useful to engineers as they use the GCAS to compare the topography of regions of interest for the Artemis III and future space travel missions. Not only can three-dimensional (3D) visualization display the intricacies of the lunar terrain, but it can also demonstrate relationships such as the presence or absence of communication links between Earth ground stations, lunar crew members, and rovers, and the presence of shadows on the lunar surface. In the future, the GCAS has the potential to support the planning of other space exploration missions as well. The emerging possibility of incorporating more planetary bodies becomes especially important as NASA plans not only to return to the Moon but to press onward to Mars.
Visualization↗
Custom NEON AOP reflectance mosaics and maps of shade masks, canopy water content
This mosaic of visible to shortwave infrared (VSWIR) data was derived from the assignable asset NEON AOP radiance data that was collected by LBNL’s Watershed Function SFA during the summer of 2018 (DOI: 10.15485/1617204). This atmospheric correction was completed to take into account site-specific terrain variability in the 334 km2 survey area centered around Crested Butte, CO. The atmospheric correction was completed using ACORN atmospheric correction software executed on 200 x 200 pixel kernels rather than line by line in order to capture local flight altitude conditions. Manual cloud delineation removed any small shaded areas that occurred within the data collection areas. Mosaics were developed based on preference for days that were in close timing proximity to the coincident ground campaign and with mosaicing criteria that minimized the angle between the sun and the sensor to retrieve the most consistent reflectance (min_phase_refl_tiled). Finally, we generated shade masks based on the geometry between the sun angle at time of flight, the ground surface, and the sensor. Here we provide the orthomosaiced estimated reflectance data (min_phase_refl_tiled.tif), canopy water content (wtrl), estimated atmospheric water vapor (wtrv), the observational data (obs) for this particular mosaic, the estimated visibility (vis), shade masks derived from the digital surface elevation model (shade) and the digital terrain model (shade_tch) added to the canopy height model (DOI: 10.15485/1617203), and a wavelength metadata file. Each image file is provided as a GeoTiff with internal tiling and LZW compression. These data can also be found on Google Earth Engine for extraction, download, and analysis of smaller extents (Google Earth Engine data is linked in external link table).
2018 NEON and 2025 CHESS Campaigns↗
Orthographic terrain views using data derived from digital elevation models
A fast algorithm for producing three-dimensional orthographic terrain views uses digital elevation data and co-registered imagery. These views are created using projective geometry and are designed for display on high-resolution raster graphics devices. The algorithm's effectiveness is achieved by (1) the implementation of two efficient gray-level interpolation routines that offer the user a choice between speed and smoothness, and (2) a unique visible surface determination procedure based on horizon angles derived from the elevation data set.
Dubayah, R. O.↗
Analysis and design of a capsule landing system and surface vehicle control system for Mars exploration
Investigation of problems related to control of a mobile planetary vehicle according to a systematic plan for the exploration of Mars has been undertaken. Problem areas receiving attention include: (1) overall systems analysis; (2) vehicle configuration and dynamics; (3) toroidal wheel design and evaluation; (4) on-board navigation systems; (5) satellite-vehicle navigation systems; (6) obstacle detection systems; (7) terrain sensing, interpretation and modeling; (8) computer simulation of terrain sensor-path selection systems; and (9) chromatographic systems design concept studies. The specific tasks which have been undertaken are defined and the progress which has been achieved during the period July 1, 1971 to December 31, 1971 is summarized.
Frederick, D. K.↗