Comparative Analysis of Terrestrial and Martian Volcanic Features Using Multispectral Thermal Infrared Images, Aerial Photographs and Viking Images

Abstract

The process of collecting information about an object without physically being in contact with it is often referred to as remote sensing. The utility of remote sensing in fields such as geology, geography, engineering and environmental studies is rapidly increasing with technology. Thirty years ago, being able to study the Earth and other planets through remote sensing was merely a dream. We were already realizing the benefits of utilizing air photography in solving scientific problems. We began obtaining information from images beyond the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Today, we are able to sense data from space and conduct global, uniform studies on planetary bodies. For the geologist, the field of remote sensing opens up a whole new level of interpretation. Inaccessible areas of the Earth and other planetary bodies can now be studied uniformly with increasing detail. In studying planetary bodies, remote sensing is currently the best option. The field of "planetary geology", geology applied to other planets and bodies, is growing rapidly as technology increases our ability to obtain information about other planets. We have built up our knowledge of the solar system, beginning with the early telescopes of Galileo and on to advanced radiotelescopes. Optical telescopes are still very useful for obtaining data from the Moon, which is relatively close to the Earth. However, in some applications, earth-based observations in geology have been nearly exhausted or planets further away or those obscured in any way, we must rely spacecraft images, which offer up to 1000 times better resolution (Siegal and Gillespie, 1980) in the case for Mars.