Where is Viking Lander 2? Recovered Landing Site in MRO Images Not in Agreement with Earlier Predictions!
نویسندگان
چکیده
Introduction: Landers on the surface of Mars constitute unique landmarks for geodetic control point networks. Typically, their positions with respect to prominent surrounding surface features and their Mars-fixed coordinates, derived from radio tracking, are well established. Unfortunately, Viking 2 landed in a vast desert, which lacked prominent surface markings in its neighborhood. Hence, though this lander’s Mars-fixed coordinates are precisely known [6,8], its location with respect to surroundings was heavily disputed among various study teams. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and its onboard camera HiRise [http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/] recently obtained image data in which the Lander was finally found. Surprisingly, the location of the site is not in agreement with any of the earlier predictions.
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