Planetary Remote Sensing: Chang’E-4/5 and Mars Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Planetary remote sensing images are mainly composed of multi- and hyperspectral datasets in the visible-near-infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) regions, which are sensitive to the mineralogical composition on the Moon, Mars, and Mercury because of spectrally diagnostic absorption features of major minerals (e.g., olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, ilmenite, plagioclase) and different glasses or molecular waters on the Moon and/or Mars. In addition, thermal infrared (TIR) and passive microwave data are definitely necessary for mapping substrate physical properties (temperature, regolith size, thickness. and layering) and chemical compositions, which are critical for understanding the nature of the substrate regolith and rocky units and for interpreting their geological provenance.

This Special Issue invites manuscripts resulting from processing remote sensing datasets acquired by the latest mission to the Moon and Mars as well as from analyzing lab spectral data. Manuscripts are expected to highlight the importance of lab spectroscopic and imaging remote sensing for investigation of the Moon, Mars, and related planetary bodies. The Special Issue also welcomes manuscripts reporting research results from various observations and measurements through the use of photography, X-ray, gamma-ray, gravitational, magnetic, and topographic data, which advance our current knowledge of planetary remote sensing. The topics will include but are not limited to the following:

• Chang’E-4/5 for mapping of surface regolith, mineralogy, and lithology;
• Scientific investigations from recent Mars missions on rocky classification, structure identification, and volcanism;
• Optical remote sensing and data analysis;
• Thermal remote sensing of physical and compositional properties;
• Microwave remote sensing of surface and subsurface properties;
• Radiative transfer models for planetary remote sensing;
• Integration of remote sensing data with lab measured spectra and sample compositions;
• Photogeological analysis of rocky units and geological structures of different planets;
• Spectroscopic analysis of molecular water (H₂O) or other hydroxyl (OH) compounds;
• Space weathering.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Remote Sensing.

Prof. Dr. Shengbo Chen
Prof. Dr. Lin Li
Prof. Dr. Yuanzhi Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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