The NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin, Germany

The DLR/NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility (RPIF) was founded in 1985 in cooperation with NASA and is located at the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin-Adlershof. This library of planetary photographs and maps keeps on file all the image data transmitted by many NASA and ESA space probes and makes them accessible to the public in Europe and mainly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Spectral and Petrographic Properties of Inclusions in Carbonaceous Chondrites and Comparison with In Situ Images from Asteroid Ryugu

We imaged a set of carbonaceous chondrites from the CM2, CO3, CV3, and CK4 groups using the qualification model of MasCam, the camera on board the asteroid lander MASCOT, which touched down on asteroid Ryugu in 2018 October. A CI1 meteorite was also imaged but excluded from the analysis due to prominent terrestrial weathering. Following the methods used to image the rock on Ryugu, we placed a total of 14 meteorites approximately 20 cm in front of the camera to achieve a spatial resolution of about 0.2 mm per pixel and illuminated the samples with onboard light-emitting diodes of four different colors in the visible wavelength range. We mapped bright and dark inclusions within the meteorites and derived the inclusion brightness relative to the matrix in the red light, the relative spectral slope of each inclusion, the inclusion size frequency distribution and the matrix volume abundance. We find that the meteorite groups overlap within these parameters, but individual samples, as well as individual inclusions, can have deviating values. Terrestrial weathering appears to have no systematic influence on these parameters. Relating our analysis to the inclusions found in the rock on Ryugu, we find that the spectral parameters of Ryugu's inclusions fit well in the parameter space of the carbonaceous chondrites. Compared with the most common types of carbonaceous chondrites, Ryugu's rock has larger inclusions (mean diameter: 0.63 ± 0.91 mm) and a higher upper limit to the matrix abundance (92.4 vol%)

Unser Sonnensystem : Kurzer Überblick über die Körper unseres Sonnensystems und deren Erkundung

Kurzer Überblick über die Körper unseres Sonnensystems und deren Erkundung mit Raumsonden

Our Solar System : A Short Introduction to the Bodies of our Solar System and their Exploration

A short introduction to the bodies of our Solar System and their exploration

Solar System Exploration Missions

This is a compilation of robotic and human missions to the bodies of the solar system except for Earth observation missions. Missions that failed to launch in the early time of space flight are not listed as are missions under development

Expedition zu Fremden Welten: 20 Milliarden Kilometer durch das Sonnensystem

Expedition zu Fremden Welten: 20 Milliarden Kilometer durch das Sonnensyste

Multiple ways to visualize planetary image data

At the DLR Institute of Planetary Research, we have many different ways of visualizing planetary image data. From the creation of scientific cartographic products over perspective 3D views to immersive virtual reality environments we apply many different visualization techniques to gain a better understanding of a planet's surface. Processing the data to obtain the best visual and contextual representations for scientific and engineering uses as well as for public outreach is part of our daily routine. We present some of the progress we have made in the field of data visualization during the last decade benefitting from modern techniques