Sedimentation and Proposed Algorithms to Detect the Possible Existence of Vegetation and Humidity in the Landing Area of the Mars Exploration Rover-B (Opportunity)

Abstract

Opportunity was launched in 2004 and has been providing interesting data from Mars till 2018. Meridiani Planum was the landing site for the robot. This crater has numerous rock outcrops, which are considered a valuable geological resource that contains keys to the Martian past. In this work, several algorithms have been developed for detecting the possible presence of humidity and vegetation on Mars through the images sent by the Mars Exploration Rover - B Opportunity and by the Viking Orbiter between 1976 and 1980. For this, it was carried out a sedimentary simulation of the study area, as well as an analysis of all the images from the spectral signatures extracted. The results show the existence of three types of water on the surface, as well as concentrations of Neoxanthin, also on landing area surface, that suggest the possible existence of microalgae.

Prediction of the Transported Soil Volume by the Presence of Water in the Vicinity of Ma’adim Vallis (Mars)

“…Regarding its initial orbit, there are studies [4] that support the theory that its formation occurred in the asteroid belt, taking place around 120 million years later, a migration towards its current position. The presence of liquid water on the surface would gradually disappear as a result of the existence of a tenuous atmosphere and an intense solar wind [5].…”

“…In general, and with regard to the orography of the planet, [5] specifies that the existing channels, as well as the gullies and the runoff processes associated with them, suggest the presence of liquid water on the surface in the past. Furthermore, taking into account that the atmospheric pressure in the Martian past was ostensibly higher than the current one, and according to [12], raindrops with enough size could be formed to give rise to orographic incidents on the surface.…”

“…Regarding the erosion processes, reference [5] obtained a series of predictive algorithms of soil transported volume valid on Mars surface. Other studies [13] specifies that levitation forces enhance the downslope transport on Mars, even though there is evidence that in the past, in the period in which the atmospheric density was such that it allowed the existence of water in a liquid state on its surface, the loss of soil due to sedimentary transport in watercourses was the force that it modeled the morphology of the Martian surface.…”