Results from LIDAR-based terrain analysis algorithms developed at JPL. The top of the figure shows the steps necessary to detect landing hazards and select a safe landing site in topographic data provided by a LIDAR. The process is called Hazard Detection and Avoidance (HDA). The bottom left shows how two LIDAR scans are aligned to estimate surface relative velocity. The image on the bottom right shows the result of aligning a small 3D scan taken by a lidar with a larger topographic map to estimate the position of the a lander relative to the desired landing site to enable Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN).
Andrew Johnson - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD)