Remote Sensing Analysis of Cratered Surfaces: Mars Landing Hazard Assessment, Comparison to Terrestrial Crater Analogs, and Mars Crater Dating Models

For more than twenty-five years, exploration missions have been sent to Mars in order to understand the dynamic processes at work on the surface of the planet. The surface geomorphology of potential landing sites on Mars is, therefore, among the most important factors to be considered when planning planetary exploration missions. Cratered terrain posses a hazard to equipment during exploration missions. Impact cratering is the most ubiquitous geologic process in the solar system, and its geomorphic effects are evident in the topography of most of the terrestrial bodies in the solar system, including Mars. Mars is covered by impact features that range from kilometer sized basins to small, bowl-shaped craters. In addition, constraints on the ages of cratered surfaces, and the processes that modify those surfaces over time, will be crucial for the geologic study of Mars. The objective of this work is to determine the morphological characteristics of simple impact craters in order to assess terrain hazards for Martian exploration.