Viking Imagery Added to Mars Portal

The original Mars Portal, published in June 2020, underwent a significant update this month. You'll see the same map work previously published in Mars Portal with one significant difference. Now, when viewing the surface you'll not only see beautiful topographic detail but a brilliant 232m resolution image overlay from the Mars Viking missions showing surface detail not available previously. Martian dunes, polar ice caps, and rugged topography come to life in a more interactive and meaningful way.

Fig. 1 - Comparison of the original Mars Portal (Left) with the Viking imagery Mars Portal update (right). The updated portal includes everything that the original had, with the added benefit (and beauty) of the 1975 Viking imagery layer.

Satellite and aerial imagery are instrumental in telling a deeper story of the place. Cartographers use imagery to accentuate topographical features, display actual color, and better indicate specific geological, biological, and environmental processes. They also aid the display of minerals, water features, and ice.

Without imagery, a map says little, if anything about the true appearance of the landscape beyond basic topography. By adding the Viking Missions satellite images, any viewer can see and describe the substrate differences between valley floors and surrounding ridges and trace the prevailing winds that scrape the surface.

The more we see, the better we can envision a more detailed plan for our future on Mars and other rocky surfaces in our solar system. As more imagery becomes available, our Team at RedMapper will continue to update our atlases and portals for the optimal exploration experience.

Sincerely,
The RedMapper Team