MSc Remote Sensing, Image Processing and Applications.

After my first degree, I studied for an MSc in Remote Sensing, Image Processing and Applications, at the University of Dundee. The 1 year course included a 6 month taught element, and a 6 month research element. The subjects on the taught element included:

Orbital mechanics,
Terrestrial Geology and Geomorphology,
Space Platforms,
Planetary Physics,
Atmospheric Physics,
Software Engineering,
Optical Image Processing,
Digital Image Processing,
Geographic Information Systems,
Surveying,
IR, UV, Optical and Radar Remote Sensing,
Photogrammetry.

Research

The 6 month research thesis was titled:

An analysis of Martian surface anomalies using the Phobos-2 spacecraft.

This involved collaboration with and visits to Research Institutes in Russia, to gain a detailed understanding into the nature of the research, and into Russian spacecraft design and operations.

Data was analysed predominantly from the Hesperia Planum region of Mars, using the Thermoscan Optical / Infrared Spectrometer onboard the Phobos-2 spacecraft. The research examined the hypothesis that the surface origin of airborne plumes observed by the Thermoscan instrument were endogenic in nature, and caused by Martian permafrost deposits outgassing.

Richard Osborne, 1995-1997.