Global CTX Mosaic of Mars

2023: Service Launch

On April 5, 2023, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA's research center, announced that scientists have created a detailed interactive map of Mars, which everyone can access.

Specialists from the Bruce Murray Planetary Imaging Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena took part in the development of the service called Global CTX Mosaic of Mars. The 3D model presented is said to be the highest-quality map of the Red Planet ever formed.

The Global CTX Mosaic of Mars is based on approximately 110 thousand photographs transmitted to Earth from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) interplanetary station. Each pixel of the map covers an area of ​ ​ about 25 square meters. To obtain images, a panchromatic context camera (CTX) was used, which forms monochrome images in the range from 500 to 800 nm.

It is noted that it took experts six years to create an interactive model of Mars. Special software algorithms were used to glue images into a single array, but scientists had to process about 13 thousand photos manually. As a result, a 5.7 trillion pixel card was obtained, a printout of which could cover the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena. The Red Planet's virtual globe showcases rocks, impact craters and traces of dust vortices in mesmerizing detail. Users can visit regions such as Gale Crater and Jezero Crater - areas that explore NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. The beta version of the interactive model, as noted, was used by specialists to prepare 120 peer-reviewed scientific papers related to the Red Planet. The service is available at this link. ^[1]

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