Orbital Photogrammetry of Selected Relief Elements with Evidences of Geological Activity in Aitken Crater on the Far Side of the Moon

Abstract

Achievements in the field of lunar research over the past 10-15 years have brought a lot of important information about the Moon and its interior. In particular, a high-resolution orbital survey performed from low lunar orbit by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) station has revealed details of the structure of impact craters, which were not even suspected before. For example, rivers and non-frozen lakes of molten lunar soil in the area of Tycho crater. Another impressive example is the glacier-like tongues of lunar rocks flowing from the central peaks of young impact craters. Or the unexpectedly high frequency of meteorite impacts on the lunar surface. Results of this kind can significantly affect future plans for the exploration of the Moon by automatic weapons and expeditions with a crew. They can also make a noticeable contribution to fundamental research. In this work, using a specific example of the Aitken crater, the possibilities of studying the relief in young impact craters based on photogrammetric processing of orbital images of the lunar surface are shown. The problems of a computational nature in the creation of 3D-models of the lunar relief and their referencing to the selenocentric coordinate system are also considered.