Randolph L Kirk, Ph.D.
Randolph Kirk’s research interests span both geoscience and mapping of planetary bodies. He has participated in many missions to the Moon, Venus, Mars, asteroids, comets, and icy satellites. He helped direct planetary mapping at the USGS since the early 1990s, and has developed practical methods for topomapping by shape from shading and by adapting commercial stereo workstations to planetary use.
Recent Accomplishments
- In 2020, NASA's Mars 2020 rover Perseverance landed in Jezero crater at a site mapped by the Astrogeology Science Center. Perseverence was the ninth Mars lander or rover to go to a site we mapped, all of which landed successfully. (Starting in 1962, 10 Mars landings attempted without USGS mapping failed for a variety of reasons. Just days before Perseverence the Chinese landerTianwen-1 became the first such mission to succeed.) Perseverance also carried our maps onboard and used them to guide its final descent, a technological first.
- We are helping to design and caibrate the Europa Imaging System (EIS) cameras for NASA's Europa Clipper mission and to develop software and procedures for making controlled image and topographic maps. As part of this task, we invented and demonstrated a new technique for correcting distortions in frame images that are read out line-by-line so that they can be used for precision mapping.
- We have used stereo images of Mars obtained by different cameras with pixel scales differing up to 50x to assess the resolution and precision of digital topographic models obtained under real-world (Mars) conditions. We are currently using similar techniques with images of Earth’s Moon to quantify how topographic models can be improved by photoclinometry (shape from shading) techniques using one or multiple images.
Education
- Ph.D., Planetary Science, Minor in Physics, California Institute of Technology, January 1987
- M.S., Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, June 1984
- B.S., Physics, Stanford University, June 1981
Space Mission Participation
- Member, Europa Imaging System Science Team, May 2015–Present
- Member, ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter CaSSIS Science Team, August 2010–Present
- Member, LRO and Chandrayaan-1 Mini-RF Science Teams, July 2006–Present
- Member, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE Science Team, December 2001–Present
- Member, Mars Exploration Rovers Science Team, August 2000–June 2018
- Associate, Deep Space 1 MICAS Science Team, March 2000–December 2002
- Participating Scientist, NEAR MSI/NIS Team, August 1999–July 2001
- Associate, Imager for Mars Pathfinder Science Team, July 1996–August 1998
- Member, Mars Express HRSC Science Team, January 2000–March 2020
- Associate, Mars 96 HRSC/WAOSS Science Team, March 1993–December 1996
- Member, Cassini RADAR Instrument Team, December 1990–September 2018
- Magellan Guest Investigator, October 1990–September 1994
- Associate, Voyager Imaging Science Team, 1989
Working Groups
- Member, IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coords & Rotational Elements, August 2012–present
- Member, NASA Lunar Geodesy/Cartography Working Group, December 2007–present
- Member, NASA Mars Geodesy/Cartography Working Group, June 1998–present
- Member, ISPRS Working Group “Planetary Mapping & Remote Sensing”, November 1996–present
- Chair, November 2000-October 2004, Co-Chair, Nove
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 165
Correction to: Report of the IAU Working Group on cartographic coordinates and rotational elements: 2015 Correction to: Report of the IAU Working Group on cartographic coordinates and rotational elements: 2015
We point out some errors in the most recent report from the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements (Archinal et al. 2018). We correct a sign error in Figs. 1 and 2. We also correct the equation for the prime meridian position (W) of Mars’ satellite Phobos in Table 2.
Authors
Brent A. Archinal, C. Acton, A. Conrad, T. Duxbury, D. Hestroffer, J. Hilton, L. Jorda, Randolph Kirk, S. Klioner, J-L. Margot, K. Meech, J. Oberst, F. Paganelli, J. Ping, P. K. Seidelmann, A. Stark, D. J. Tholen, Y. Wang, I. P. Williams
Overview of spirit microscopic imager results Overview of spirit microscopic imager results
This paper provides an overview of Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Microscopic Imager (MI) operations and the calibration, processing, and analysis of MI data. The focus of this overview is on the last five Earth years (2005–2010) of Spirit's mission in Gusev crater, supplementing the previous overview of the first 450 sols of the Spirit MI investigation. Updates to radiometric calibration...
Authors
Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Steve W Squyres, Raymond Arvidson, Shoshanna Cole, Rob Sullivan, Aileen Yingst, Nathalie Cabrol, Ella Lee, Janet Richie, Robert Sucharski, Fred Calef, James F. Bell, Mary Chapman, Paul Geissler, Lauren Edgar, Brenda Franklin, Joel Hurowitz, Elsa Jensen, Jeffrey Johnson, Randolph Kirk, Peter Lanagan, Kevin Mullins, Craig Leff, Justin Maki, Bonnie Redding, Melissa Rice, Michael Sims, Annette Sunda, Nicole Spanovich, Richard Springer, Laurence Soderblom, Alicia Vaughan
Degradation of 100‐m‐scale rocky ejecta craters at the InSight Landing Site on Mars and implications for surface processes and erosion rates in the hesperian and amazonian Degradation of 100‐m‐scale rocky ejecta craters at the InSight Landing Site on Mars and implications for surface processes and erosion rates in the hesperian and amazonian
Rocky ejecta craters (RECs) at the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) landing site on Elysium Planitia, Mars, provide constraints on crater modification and rates for the Hesperian and Amazonian. The RECs are between 10 m and 1.2 km in diameter and exhibit five classes of preservation. Class 1 represents pristine craters with sharp...
Authors
J. Sweeney, N. Warner, V. Ganti, Matthew Golombek, M. Lamb, Robin Fergason, Randolph Kirk
Correcting spacecraft jitter in HiRISE images Correcting spacecraft jitter in HiRISE images
Mechanical oscillations or vibrations on spacecraft, also called pointing jitter, cause geometric distortions and/or smear in high-resolution digital images acquired from orbit. Geometric distortion is especially a problem with pushbroom sensors, such as the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument on-board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Geometric...
Authors
S.S. Sutton, A.K. Boyd, Randolph Kirk, Debbie Cook, Jean Backer, A. Fennema, R. Heyd, A.S. McEwen, S.D. Mirchandani
A novel technique for precision geometric correction of jitter distortion for the Europa Imaging System and other rolling shutter cameras A novel technique for precision geometric correction of jitter distortion for the Europa Imaging System and other rolling shutter cameras
We use simulated images to demonstrate a novel technique for mitigating geometric distortions caused by platform motion (“jitter”) as two-dimensional image sensors are exposed and read out line by line (“rolling shutter”). The results indicate that the Europa Imaging System (EIS) on NASA’s Europa Clipper can likely meet its scientific goals requiring 0.1-pixel precision. We are therefore...
Authors
Randolph Kirk, Makayla Shepherd, Stuart Sides
Report of the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements: 2015 Report of the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements: 2015
This report continues the practice where the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements revises recommendations regarding those topics for the planets, satellites, minor planets, and comets approximately every three years. The Working Group has now become a “functional working group” of the IAU and its membership is open to anyone interested in participating...
Authors
Brent A. Archinal, C. Acton, M. F. A’Hearn, A. Conrad, G. Consolmagno, T. Duxbury, D. Hestroffer, J. L. Hilton, Randolph Kirk, S. A. Klioner, D. McCarthy, K. Meech, J. Oberst, J. Ping, P. Seidelmann, D. Tholen, P. Thomas, I. Williams
Community tools for cartographic and photogrammetric processing of Mars Express HRSC images Community tools for cartographic and photogrammetric processing of Mars Express HRSC images
The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on the Mars Express orbiter (Neukum et al. 2004) is a multi-line pushbroom scanner that can obtain stereo and color coverage of targets in a single overpass, with pixel scales as small as 10 m at periapsis. Since commencing operations in 2004 it has imaged ~ 77 % of Mars at 20 m/pixel or better. The instrument team uses the Video Image...
Authors
Randolph Kirk, Elpitha Howington-Kraus, Kenneth L. Edmundson, Bonnie Redding, Donna Galuszka, Trent Hare, K. Gwinner
Correcting spacecraft jitter in HiRISE images Correcting spacecraft jitter in HiRISE images
Mechanical oscillations or vibrations on spacecraft, also called pointing jitter, cause geometric distortions and/or smear in high resolution digital images acquired from orbit. Geometric distortion is especially a problem with pushbroom type sensors, such as the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Geometric...
Authors
S. Sutton, A.K. Boyd, Randolph Kirk, Debbie Cook, Jean Backer, A. Fennema, R. Heyd, A.S. McEwen, S.D. Mirchandani
The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) for the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) for the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) is the main imaging system onboard the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) which was launched on 14 March 2016. CaSSIS is intended to acquire moderately high resolution (4.6 m/pixel) targeted images of Mars at a rate of 10–20 images per day from a roughly circular orbit 400 km above the surface. Each image can be...
Authors
N. Thomas, G. Cremonese, R. Ziethe, M. Gerber, M. Brandli, G. Bruno, M. Erismann, L. Gambicorti, T. Gerber, K. Ghose, M. Gruber, P. Gubler, H. Mischler, J. Jost, D. Piazza, A. Pommerol, M. Rieder, V. Roloff, A. Servonet, W. Trottmann, T. Uthaicharoenpong, C. Zimmermann, D. Vernani, M. Johnson, E. Pelo, T. Weigel, J. Viertl, N. De Roux, P. Lochmatter, G. Sutter, A. Casciello, T. Hausner, I. Ficai Veltroni, V. Da Deppo, P. Orleanski, W. Nowosielski, T. Zawistowski, S. Szalai, B. Sodor, S. Tulyakov, G. Troznai, M. Banaskiewicz, J.C. Bridges, S. Byrne, S. Debei, M. R. El-Maarry, E. Hauber, C.J. Hansen, A. Ivanov, L. Keszthelyil, Randolph Kirk, R. Kuzmin, N. Mangold, L. Marinangeli, W. Markiewicz, M. Massironi, A. McEwen, Chris Okubo, L.L. Tornabene, P. Wajer, J.J. Wray
Selection of the InSight landing site Selection of the InSight landing site
The selection of the Discovery Program InSight landing site took over four years from initial identification of possible areas that met engineering constraints, to downselection via targeted data from orbiters (especially Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Context Camera (CTX) and High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images), to selection and certification via sophisticated...
Authors
M. Golombek, D. Kipp, N. Warner, Ingrid J. Daubar, Robin Fergason, Randolph Kirk, R. Beyer, A. Huertas, Sylvain Piqueux, N.E. Putzig, B.A. Campbell, G. Morgan, C. Charalambous, W. Pike, K. Gwinner, F. Calef, D. Kass, M. Mischna, J. Ashley, C. Bloom, N. Wigton, T. Hare, C. Schwartz, H. Gengl, L. Redmond, M. Trautman, J. Sweeney, C. Grima, I. Smith, E. Sklyanskiy, M. Lisano, J. Benardini, S.E. Smrekar, P. Lognonne, W. Banerdt
Geomorphology of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko Geomorphology of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
We present a global geomorphological map of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) using data acquired by the Rosetta Orbiter’s OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera. The images used in our study were acquired between 2014 August and 2015 May, before 67P/C-G passed through perihelion. Imagery of the Southern hemisphere was included in our study, allowing us to compare the contrasting hemispheres...
Authors
Samuel Birch, Y. Tang, A. Hayes, Randolph Kirk, D. Bodewitz, H. Campins, Y. Fernandez, R. de Freitas Bart, N. Kutsop, H. Sierks, J. Soderblom, S. Squyres, J.-B. Vincent
Analysis of local slopes at the InSight landing site on Mars Analysis of local slopes at the InSight landing site on Mars
To evaluate the topography of the surface within the InSight candidate landing ellipses, we generated Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) at lander scales and those appropriate for entry, descent, and landing simulations, along with orthoimages of both images in each stereopair, and adirectional slope images. These products were used to assess the distribution of slopes for each candidate...
Authors
Robin Fergason, Randolph Kirk, Glen Cushing, Donna Galuszka, Matthew Golombek, Trent Hare, Elpitha Howington-Kraus, Devin Kipp, Bonnie Redding
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 165
Correction to: Report of the IAU Working Group on cartographic coordinates and rotational elements: 2015 Correction to: Report of the IAU Working Group on cartographic coordinates and rotational elements: 2015
We point out some errors in the most recent report from the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements (Archinal et al. 2018). We correct a sign error in Figs. 1 and 2. We also correct the equation for the prime meridian position (W) of Mars’ satellite Phobos in Table 2.
Authors
Brent A. Archinal, C. Acton, A. Conrad, T. Duxbury, D. Hestroffer, J. Hilton, L. Jorda, Randolph Kirk, S. Klioner, J-L. Margot, K. Meech, J. Oberst, F. Paganelli, J. Ping, P. K. Seidelmann, A. Stark, D. J. Tholen, Y. Wang, I. P. Williams
Overview of spirit microscopic imager results Overview of spirit microscopic imager results
This paper provides an overview of Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Microscopic Imager (MI) operations and the calibration, processing, and analysis of MI data. The focus of this overview is on the last five Earth years (2005–2010) of Spirit's mission in Gusev crater, supplementing the previous overview of the first 450 sols of the Spirit MI investigation. Updates to radiometric calibration...
Authors
Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Steve W Squyres, Raymond Arvidson, Shoshanna Cole, Rob Sullivan, Aileen Yingst, Nathalie Cabrol, Ella Lee, Janet Richie, Robert Sucharski, Fred Calef, James F. Bell, Mary Chapman, Paul Geissler, Lauren Edgar, Brenda Franklin, Joel Hurowitz, Elsa Jensen, Jeffrey Johnson, Randolph Kirk, Peter Lanagan, Kevin Mullins, Craig Leff, Justin Maki, Bonnie Redding, Melissa Rice, Michael Sims, Annette Sunda, Nicole Spanovich, Richard Springer, Laurence Soderblom, Alicia Vaughan
Degradation of 100‐m‐scale rocky ejecta craters at the InSight Landing Site on Mars and implications for surface processes and erosion rates in the hesperian and amazonian Degradation of 100‐m‐scale rocky ejecta craters at the InSight Landing Site on Mars and implications for surface processes and erosion rates in the hesperian and amazonian
Rocky ejecta craters (RECs) at the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) landing site on Elysium Planitia, Mars, provide constraints on crater modification and rates for the Hesperian and Amazonian. The RECs are between 10 m and 1.2 km in diameter and exhibit five classes of preservation. Class 1 represents pristine craters with sharp...
Authors
J. Sweeney, N. Warner, V. Ganti, Matthew Golombek, M. Lamb, Robin Fergason, Randolph Kirk
Correcting spacecraft jitter in HiRISE images Correcting spacecraft jitter in HiRISE images
Mechanical oscillations or vibrations on spacecraft, also called pointing jitter, cause geometric distortions and/or smear in high-resolution digital images acquired from orbit. Geometric distortion is especially a problem with pushbroom sensors, such as the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument on-board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Geometric...
Authors
S.S. Sutton, A.K. Boyd, Randolph Kirk, Debbie Cook, Jean Backer, A. Fennema, R. Heyd, A.S. McEwen, S.D. Mirchandani
A novel technique for precision geometric correction of jitter distortion for the Europa Imaging System and other rolling shutter cameras A novel technique for precision geometric correction of jitter distortion for the Europa Imaging System and other rolling shutter cameras
We use simulated images to demonstrate a novel technique for mitigating geometric distortions caused by platform motion (“jitter”) as two-dimensional image sensors are exposed and read out line by line (“rolling shutter”). The results indicate that the Europa Imaging System (EIS) on NASA’s Europa Clipper can likely meet its scientific goals requiring 0.1-pixel precision. We are therefore...
Authors
Randolph Kirk, Makayla Shepherd, Stuart Sides
Report of the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements: 2015 Report of the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements: 2015
This report continues the practice where the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements revises recommendations regarding those topics for the planets, satellites, minor planets, and comets approximately every three years. The Working Group has now become a “functional working group” of the IAU and its membership is open to anyone interested in participating...
Authors
Brent A. Archinal, C. Acton, M. F. A’Hearn, A. Conrad, G. Consolmagno, T. Duxbury, D. Hestroffer, J. L. Hilton, Randolph Kirk, S. A. Klioner, D. McCarthy, K. Meech, J. Oberst, J. Ping, P. Seidelmann, D. Tholen, P. Thomas, I. Williams
Community tools for cartographic and photogrammetric processing of Mars Express HRSC images Community tools for cartographic and photogrammetric processing of Mars Express HRSC images
The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on the Mars Express orbiter (Neukum et al. 2004) is a multi-line pushbroom scanner that can obtain stereo and color coverage of targets in a single overpass, with pixel scales as small as 10 m at periapsis. Since commencing operations in 2004 it has imaged ~ 77 % of Mars at 20 m/pixel or better. The instrument team uses the Video Image...
Authors
Randolph Kirk, Elpitha Howington-Kraus, Kenneth L. Edmundson, Bonnie Redding, Donna Galuszka, Trent Hare, K. Gwinner
Correcting spacecraft jitter in HiRISE images Correcting spacecraft jitter in HiRISE images
Mechanical oscillations or vibrations on spacecraft, also called pointing jitter, cause geometric distortions and/or smear in high resolution digital images acquired from orbit. Geometric distortion is especially a problem with pushbroom type sensors, such as the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Geometric...
Authors
S. Sutton, A.K. Boyd, Randolph Kirk, Debbie Cook, Jean Backer, A. Fennema, R. Heyd, A.S. McEwen, S.D. Mirchandani
The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) for the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) for the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
The Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) is the main imaging system onboard the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) which was launched on 14 March 2016. CaSSIS is intended to acquire moderately high resolution (4.6 m/pixel) targeted images of Mars at a rate of 10–20 images per day from a roughly circular orbit 400 km above the surface. Each image can be...
Authors
N. Thomas, G. Cremonese, R. Ziethe, M. Gerber, M. Brandli, G. Bruno, M. Erismann, L. Gambicorti, T. Gerber, K. Ghose, M. Gruber, P. Gubler, H. Mischler, J. Jost, D. Piazza, A. Pommerol, M. Rieder, V. Roloff, A. Servonet, W. Trottmann, T. Uthaicharoenpong, C. Zimmermann, D. Vernani, M. Johnson, E. Pelo, T. Weigel, J. Viertl, N. De Roux, P. Lochmatter, G. Sutter, A. Casciello, T. Hausner, I. Ficai Veltroni, V. Da Deppo, P. Orleanski, W. Nowosielski, T. Zawistowski, S. Szalai, B. Sodor, S. Tulyakov, G. Troznai, M. Banaskiewicz, J.C. Bridges, S. Byrne, S. Debei, M. R. El-Maarry, E. Hauber, C.J. Hansen, A. Ivanov, L. Keszthelyil, Randolph Kirk, R. Kuzmin, N. Mangold, L. Marinangeli, W. Markiewicz, M. Massironi, A. McEwen, Chris Okubo, L.L. Tornabene, P. Wajer, J.J. Wray
Selection of the InSight landing site Selection of the InSight landing site
The selection of the Discovery Program InSight landing site took over four years from initial identification of possible areas that met engineering constraints, to downselection via targeted data from orbiters (especially Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Context Camera (CTX) and High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images), to selection and certification via sophisticated...
Authors
M. Golombek, D. Kipp, N. Warner, Ingrid J. Daubar, Robin Fergason, Randolph Kirk, R. Beyer, A. Huertas, Sylvain Piqueux, N.E. Putzig, B.A. Campbell, G. Morgan, C. Charalambous, W. Pike, K. Gwinner, F. Calef, D. Kass, M. Mischna, J. Ashley, C. Bloom, N. Wigton, T. Hare, C. Schwartz, H. Gengl, L. Redmond, M. Trautman, J. Sweeney, C. Grima, I. Smith, E. Sklyanskiy, M. Lisano, J. Benardini, S.E. Smrekar, P. Lognonne, W. Banerdt
Geomorphology of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko Geomorphology of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
We present a global geomorphological map of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) using data acquired by the Rosetta Orbiter’s OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera. The images used in our study were acquired between 2014 August and 2015 May, before 67P/C-G passed through perihelion. Imagery of the Southern hemisphere was included in our study, allowing us to compare the contrasting hemispheres...
Authors
Samuel Birch, Y. Tang, A. Hayes, Randolph Kirk, D. Bodewitz, H. Campins, Y. Fernandez, R. de Freitas Bart, N. Kutsop, H. Sierks, J. Soderblom, S. Squyres, J.-B. Vincent
Analysis of local slopes at the InSight landing site on Mars Analysis of local slopes at the InSight landing site on Mars
To evaluate the topography of the surface within the InSight candidate landing ellipses, we generated Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) at lander scales and those appropriate for entry, descent, and landing simulations, along with orthoimages of both images in each stereopair, and adirectional slope images. These products were used to assess the distribution of slopes for each candidate...
Authors
Robin Fergason, Randolph Kirk, Glen Cushing, Donna Galuszka, Matthew Golombek, Trent Hare, Elpitha Howington-Kraus, Devin Kipp, Bonnie Redding