Mariner 10 - 1973/75 - "Mission to Mercury and Venus"

Calibrated images from the Mariner 10 mission to Mercury and Venus.

Images were flat field corrected and processed using the Moon's spectral reflectance as a guide for Mercury's color. RGB data was derived from clear, blue , uv and orange filters, trying to aproximate realistic colors as much as possible. For Venus, a yellowish global hue was assumed, and the image average tone was matched to that reference.

Original Mariner 10 data available here: http://pdsimg.jpl.nasa.gov/data/mr10-m-iss-2-edr-pv0.x/

 

Mariner 10 processed Mercury images

Distant Mercury

Processed from clear and blue filter images

Approaching Mercury

Processed from clear and blue filter images

Crescent

Colorized clear filter mosaic

 

Zooming In

Processed from clear and blue filter image mosaics

 

Cratered Landscape

Processed from clear and UV filter images

  
 

 

 

Mariner 10 processed Venus images

Visible Venus

Real color Venus image, processed from Clear and Blue filters

UV Venus

False color UV Venus image, processed from Clear and Blue and UV filters

Rotation

False color Venus UV filter images.

 

Clouds and Limb

False color Venus UV filter image

 

South Pole

False color Venus mosaic from UV filter images

  
 

 

Mission data:

Mission Summary:

Launch
03-11-1973
Venus
05-02-1974
Mercury I
29-03-1974
Mercury II
21-09-1974
Mercury III
16-03-1975
Last Contact
24-03-1975

Camera A:

Pixels X
Pixels Y
832
700
Bit Depth
Sensor
8
Vidicon
Filters
1 - Wide angle mirror
2 - Blue band pass
3 - UV polarizing
4 - Minus UV
5 - Clear
6 - UV
7 - Defocus
8 - Yellow band pass

Camera B:

Pixels X
Pixels Y
832
700
Bit Depth
Sensor
8
Vidicon
Filters
1 - Wide angle mirror
2 - Blue band pass
3 - UV polarizing
4 - Minus UV
5 - Clear
6 - UV
7 - Defocus
8 - Yellow band pass