The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made history once again by revealing a never-before-seen global photographic map of Mars in exceptional detail.
Created by NYU Abu Dhabi group leader and research scientist Dimitra Atri and his team, the map features images captured exclusively by the Emirates Exploration Imager (EXI), a state-of-the-art imaging system on board the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), also known as Hope or Al-Amal.
Culmination of 3,000 Observations
Dimitra Atri, a research scientist and group leader from the Center for Space Science at NYUAD, and his team created the never-seen-before map of Mars using more than 3,000 observations produced by the EXI instrument.
The team spent two Earth years stitching together the thousands of observations to create a color composite map, showcasing regions and features of the Red Planet in exceptional resolution.
The map is an essential foundation for future scientific research on Mars, allowing scientists to learn about momentous shifts in climate that can fundamentally alter planets.
Such insights could prove invaluable in helping researchers better understand our own planet and the UAE's contribution to this important scientific endeavor is a testament to its significant advancements in the field of science.
Impressive Details
The Mars Map features a range of impressive details, including polar ice caps, mountains, volcanoes, remnants of ancient rivers, lakes, valleys, and impact craters.
The exquisite detail of the map is a result of the strategic position of the Hope probe, according to the team.
"We plan to make our map available to the entire planet, as part of the new and more advanced Atlas of Mars, which we have been working on, and will be available in both English and Arabic once published," Atri said in a press release statement.
"The hope is that this accessibility will make it a great tool for researchers, and also students to learn more about Mars, and showcase the possibilities that the space sector in the UAE can offer."
EMM, which was commissioned by the nation's leaders in 2014, is the first interplanetary mission for the UAE and the Arab world. The Japanese-launched Hope probe entered Mars' orbit on February 9, 2021, seven months after its July 20, 2020, launch.
The successful development of the Mars Map brings the UAE another step closer to achieving EMM's ambitious mission goal, providing a complete global picture of the Martian climate.
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