Bayesian network-based extraction of lunar impact craters from optical images and DEM data

Impact craters are among the most noticeable geomorphological features on the planetary surface and yield significant information about terrain evolution and the history of the solar system. Thus, the recognition of impact craters is an important branch of modern planetary studies. Aiming at addressing problems associated with the insufficient and inaccurate detection of lunar impact craters, a decision fusion method within the Bayesian network (BN) framework is developed in this paper to handle multi-source information from both optical images and associated digital elevation model (DEM) data. First, we implement the edge-based method for efficiently searching crater candidates which are the image patches that can potentially contain impact craters. Secondly, the multi-source representations of an impact crater derived from both optical images and DEM data are proposed and constructed to quantitatively describe the two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) morphology, consisting of Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG), Histogram of Multi-scale Slope (HMS) and Histogram of Multi-scale Aspect (HMA). Finally, a BN-based framework integrates the multi-source representations of impact craters, which can provide reductant and complementary information, for distinguishing craters from non-craters. To evaluate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method, experiments were conducted on three lunar scenes using both orthoimages from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and DEM data acquired by the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA). Experimental results demonstrate that integrating optical images with DEM data significantly decreases the number of false positives compared with using optical images alone, with F₁-score of 84.8% on average. Moreover, compared with other existing fusion methods, our proposed method was quite advantageous especially for the detection of small-scale craters with diameters less than 1000 m.     

Novel approach of crater detection by crater candidate region selection and matrix-pattern-oriented least squares support vector machine

Impacted craters are commonly found on the surface of planets, satellites, asteroids and other solar system bodies. In order to speed up the rate of constructing the database of craters, it is important to develop crater detection algorithms. This paper presents a novel approach to automatically detect craters on planetary surfaces. The approach contains two parts: crater candidate region selection and crater detection. In the first part, crater candidate region selection is achieved by Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi (KLT) detector. Matrix-pattern-oriented least squares support vector machine (MatLSSVM), as the matrixization version of least square support vector machine (SVM), inherits the advantages of least squares support vector machine (LSSVM), reduces storage space greatly and reserves spatial redundancies within each image matrix compared with general LSSVM. The second part of the approach employs MatLSSVM to design classifier for crater detection. Experimental results on the dataset which comprises 160 preprocessed image patches from Google Mars demonstrate that the accuracy rate of crater detection can be up to 88%. In addition, the outstanding feature of the approach introduced in this paper is that it takes resized crater candidate region as input pattern directly to finish crater detection. The results of the last experiment demonstrate that MatLSSVM-based classifier can detect crater regions effectively on the basis of KLT-based crater candidate region selection.     

Integrated method for crater detection from topography and optical images and the new PH9224GT catalogue of Phobos impact craters

In a large majority of lunar and planetary surface images, impact craters are the most abundant geological features. Therefore, it is not surprising that crater detection algorithms (CDAs) are one of the most studied subjects of image processing and analysis in lunar and planetary science. In this work we are proposing an Integrated CDA, consisting of: (1) utilization of DEM (digital elevation map)-based CDA; (2) utilization of an optical-based CDA; (3) re-projection of used datasets and crater coordinates from normal to rotated view and back; (4) correction of the brightness and contrast of a used optical image; and (5) tile generation for the optical-based CDA and an assembling of results with an elimination of multiple detections, in combination with a pyramid approach down to the resolution of the available DEM image; and (6) a final integration of the results of DEM-based and optical-based CDAs, including a removal of duplicates. The proposed CDA is applied to one specific asteroid-like body, the small Martian moon Phobos. The experimental evaluation of the proposed CDA is done by a manual verification of crater-candidates and a search for uncatalogued craters. The evaluation has shown that the proposed CDA was used successfully for cataloging Phobos craters. The major result of this paper is the PH9224GT – currently the most complete global catalogue of the 9224 Phobos craters. The possible applications of the new catalogue are: (1) age estimations for any selected location; and (2) comparison/evaluation of the different chronology and production functions for Phobos. This confirms the practical applicability of the new Integrated CDA – an additional result of this paper, which can be used in order to considerably extend the current crater catalogues.     

A new approach based on crater detection and matching for visual navigation in planetary landing

This paper provides an approach of crater detection and matching to visual navigation in planetary landing missions. The approach aims to detect craters on the planetary surface and match them to a landmark database during the descent phase of a planetary landing mission. Firstly an image region pairing method is proposed to detect the crater by using an image region feature detector. Then a WTA-rule is adopted to match the detected crater to the crater in database. To further reduce the false matching rate, an efficient method for reducing false matches using parameters of crater in 3-D database is proposed. Real images of planetary terrain and a semi-physical planetary landing simulation platform are utilized to test the performance of the approach, simulation results show the proposed approach is able to match the required number of craters to the database for pin-point planetary landing with a low rate of false detection and false matching, which will lead to an improved planetary landing precision.     

Open framework for objective evaluation of crater detection algorithms with first test-field subsystem based on MOLA data

Crater Detection Algorithms (CDAs) applications range from estimation of lunar/planetary surface age to autonomous landing on planets and asteroids and advanced statistical analyses. A large amount of work on CDAs has already been published. However, problems arise when evaluation results of some new CDA have to be compared with already published evaluation results. The problem is that different authors use different test-fields, different Ground-Truth (GT) catalogues, and even different methodologies for evaluation of their CDAs. Re-implementation of already published CDAs or its evaluation environment is a time-consuming and unpractical solution to this problem. In addition, implementation details are often insufficiently described in publications. As a result, there is a need in research community to develop a framework for objective evaluation of CDAs. A scientific question is how CDAs should be evaluated so that the results are easily and reliably comparable. In attempt to solve this issue we first analyzed previously published work on CDAs. In this paper, we propose a framework for solution of the problem of objective CDA evaluation. The framework includes: (1) a definition of the measure for differences between craters; (2) test-field topography based on the 1/64° MOLA data; (3) the GT catalogue wherein each of 17,582 craters is aligned with MOLA data and confirmed with catalogues by N.G. Barlow et al. and J.F. Rodionova et al.; (4) selection of methodology for training and testing; and (5) a Free-response Receiver Operating Characteristics (F-ROC) curves as a way to measure CDA performance. The handling of possible improvements of the framework in the future is additionally addressed as a part of discussion of results. Possible extensions with additional test-field subsystems based on visual images, data sets for other planets, evaluation methodologies for CDAs developed for different purposes than cataloguing of craters, are proposed as well. The goal of the proposed framework is to contribute to the research community by establishing guidelines for objective evaluation of CDAs.     

Experimental study of impact-cratering damage on brittle cylindrical column model as a fundamental component of space architecture

The cylindrical column of brittle material processed from soil and rock is a fundamental component of architectures on the surface of solid bodies in the solar system. One of the most hazardous events for the structure is damaging by hypervelocity impacts by meteoroids and debris. In such a background, cylindrical columns made of plaster of Paris and glass-bead-sintered ceramic were impacted by spherical projectiles of nylon, glass, and steel at velocity of about 1–4.5 km/s. Measured crater radii, depth, and excavated mass expressed by a function of the cylinder radius are similar irrespective of the target material, if those parameters are normalized by appropriate parameters of the crater produced on the flat-surface target. The empirical scaling relations of the normalized crater radii and depth are provided. Using them, crater dimensions and excavated mass of crater on cylindrical surface of any radius can be predicted from the existing knowledge of those for flat surface. Recommendation for the minimum diameter of a cylinder so as to resist against a given impact is provided.     

Evaluation of craters formation in hypervelocity impact of debris particles on solid structures

The aim of this work is to develop simplified model of space debris particle collision on solid structures, which would provide closed form solution formulas for determining crater depth, radius and ejected mass being functions of impactor mass, speed and material of both impactor and target. The model will be verified with results of experiments.     

Hydrocode modelling of hypervelocity impacts on ice

Experimental data are now widely available for the size of craters resulting from hypervelocity impacts of millimetre scale projectiles onto water ice targets. At such size scales the bowl shaped crater formed in ductile materials, or in larger scale impacts, is here surrounded by a large spallation zone due to the brittle nature of the ice. Modelling of these impacts therefore has to take account of this spallation. Here we used the iSALE2 hydrocode to simulate such impacts and compared the results to experimental data. We found that it was possible to reproduce the experimental data over a range of speeds (1–7 km s⁻¹) for aluminium and copper projectiles. Initially, to reproduce the large spallation regions around the craters it was assumed that above a certain degree of damage, material was removed by spallation. However this simple one-parameter model failed to model the crater depth adequately. Accordingly, to obtain the best agreement of the simulations with the experimental data, a two-step ice strength was introduced, whereby above a critical amount of damage (0.95), the yield strength reduced from 1 MPa (intact) to 70 kPa (damaged). As a result, experimental data for crater depth and diameter and the results of the simulations agree to within 6% for diameter and 5% for depth over the impact energy range used in the experiments (1–240 J).     

Exploring links between crater floor mineralogy and layered lunar crust

Floors of similar sized craters, representing material from similar depth horizons, have been studied to explore their suitability as mineralogy indicators at various depths within the lunar crust. Clementine UV–vis multispectral data was used to generate mineral abundance maps of crater floors and surroundings using a modified version of algorithm given by Pieters et al. (2001) [Pieters, C.M., Head, J.W., Gaddis, L., Jolliff, B. and Duke, M. Rock types of the south pole aitken basin and extent of basaltic volcanism, JGR (106) E11, 28001–28022, 2001.]. Substantial processing of the crater floor material due to variety of geological processes is evident in the generated maps, making straight forward interpretations difficult. However, systematic compositional trends in fresh craters on the floors of target craters seem to indicate the feasibility of such an effort.