Phase II Final Report - NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts

1.3.3.1 Surface Imaging
The Entomopter vehicles
can enable ultra-high resolution
imaging (on the order
of centimeters resolution)
over extensive areas, similar
to the type of images
acquired by landers or rovers.
An example of a high
resolution surface image is
shown in Figure 1-12. This
type of data can make possible
recognition of individual
rocks and specific land features.
It can also aid the
identification of areas for
further examination by the
rover. High resolution imaging
is also valuable for
interpreting the geologic
history of a region and
Chapter 1.0 Introduction
1.3 Mission
Figure 1-12: High Resolution Image of Mars Surface Taken
by Pathfinder Lander
examining Aeolian, hydrothermal, aqueous, volcanic, cratering, tectonic, and other processes
based on their geomorphology. High resolution imagery can also be valuable in examining layers
in crater walls and hydrothermal system associated with volcanoes and impact craters. In
addition, data collected by other science instruments, such as magnetic and neutron observations,
can be correlated with local geologic features.
The Entomopter can enable the acquisition of high resolution compositional information on surface
rocks using infrared spectroscopy and other techniques that can take advantage of observation
elevations from a few hundred meters to a few kilometers and collect measurements at the
meter-spatial resolution. Mineralogy is directly related to the formation environment of rocks.
Thus locating key mineral deposits is central to locating sites that may have allowed life to
thrive on early Mars and to understanding the chemical evolution of the Mars surface and atmosphere.
In past science missions, imaging has provided the most beneficial planetary science and contributed
to the most planetary science discoveries that have been made. Based on previous
results of exploration missions, it can be inferred that the higher the resolution of the imagery
the greater the science value and discoveries that are made. The Entomopter vehicle is ideally
suited for producing high resolution imagery. Its flight speed is slow, and it can fly near the surface,
enabling very high resolution and very good perspective of the terrain.
The Mars Orbiter Camera on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft can achieve 1.5 m/pixel
images of the surface. This compares to the Viking Orbiter resolution of 200 m/pixel. This 100-
fold increase in resolution has greatly increased our understanding of Mars. With the Entomopter,
we can achieve resolutions on the order of 0.01 m/pixel, a 100-fold improvement over
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