Topography of Vesta from Dawn FC stereo images

Kurzfassung

The Dawn mission has completed its Survey and High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) phases at Vesta and is currently in its Low Altitude Mapping Orbit (LAMO) [1]. From the Survey orbit (altitude ~2,700 km) the Dawn Framing Camera (FC) [2] acquired 1,179 clear filter images with a mean im-age resolution of 256 m/pxl whereas from the HAMO orbit (~700 km altitude) there are 2,674 clear filter images with a mean resolution of 63 m/pxl. In both mapping phases the surface was imaged several times under similar illumination conditions (Sun elevation and azimuth), but different viewing conditions (by tilt-ing the spacecraft). This allows to analyze the images stereoscopically and to construct stereo topographic maps. The topography is particularly important, be-cause it is essential for: • derivation of physical properties of Vesta • precise ortho-image registration, mosaicking, and map generation of monochrome/color FC images and VIR images • quantitative geomorphologic analysis and • precise photometric analysis (from detailed local surface inclination).