‘Hiker’s Maps’ of Mars Created

‘Hiker’s Maps’ of Mars Created

When space travelers finally traipse across the dusty Martian surface, they’ll know just what kind of terrain to expect thanks to scientists at the European Space Agency who are producing the first “hiker’s maps” of the red planet.
The new topographic maps, based on data collected by the ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, could become the standard cartographic reference for future Martian research, as well as exploration on foot.
The ESA eventually will create topographic maps for the entire surface of Mars, which would mean more than 10,000 maps each of equal area.