With our preliminary survey of planetary bodies in the Solar System complete, we next turn our attention to developing an understanding of the tools that are used by planetary geologists to study these bodies. In this chapter, we will learn about some of the remote sensing techniques that are most commonly used in planetary geologic exploration. We will focus greatest attention on methods that employ light as the carrier of information about the remote target, but we will also consider some methods that employ the detection of other types of carriers. We will describe techniques that can be used from aircraft flying above the Earth, from spacecraft orbiting planets, and from landed and roving platforms on other worlds. We will examine both active and passive remote sensing techniques, provide guidance on how to select the right type of remote sensing method for the desired scientific outcome, and discuss the role of a successful ground campaign in the analysis of remote-sensing data when that option is available.
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