One year's processing and interpretation — An overview

Abstract

A total of 201 complete television frames of Mars were returned by Mariners 6 and 7 in late July and early August of 1969. During the subsequent year over 3500 different versions of those frames were generated by computer processing involving the production of about 35,000 individual photographic prints and large amounts of computer printout as well. This extensive data processing and distribution required the significant participation of about fifteen scientists, engineers, and technicians, mainly at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During that same year, the processed data were analyzed and interpreted by approximately twenty-five scientists and technicians at six different institutions. The special supplement of which this is the introductory paper presents most of the scientific findings that have accrued during the first year following the Mariner 6 and 7 flybys of Mars. It constitutes a final report on the television experiment, although significant efforts are continuing. Preliminary results were presented in three papers published in August and October of 1969 [Leighton et al., 1969a, b, c]. Smith [1970] presented information about the size, shape, and surprisingly low albedo of the martian satellite Phobos. Information concerning various aspects of the camera and data systems has also been published recently [Danielson, 1970].