High resolution orbital photogrammetry on the example of modeling selected relief elements in the Tsiolkovsky crater on the Moon

The results of 3D-modeling of lunar relief elements in the Tsiolkovsky impact crater based on high-resolution orbital images are presented. The paper used images taken by metric cameras in the framework of the “Apollo” program in 1971–1972 and delivered to Earth by the “Apollo-15” and “Apollo-17” crews. The possibilities that open up when studying the structure of impact craters on the Moon using three-dimensional models are discussed. In particular, the details of the structure of the central peak of the crater, the topography of the crater floor in the area of the inclined plateau to the north of the central peak, as well as the relief of the territory in the region of the volcano and its surroundings are considered. Computational problems associated with large expenditures of computer time when constructing 3D-models are discussed. A variant of increasing the productivity of the process of constructing models based on a computing cluster is considered. The results of 3D photogrammetry of the crater can contribute not only to the theory of the formation of impact craters, but also find practical application, since the Tsiolkovsky crater is one of the promising regions of the Moon for upcoming expeditions.