Mastcam‐Z Spectrophotometric Properties of Materials at the Van Zyl Overlook, Jezero Crater

Abstract During Sols 63–65 of Mars 2020, Mastcam‐Z multispectral (442–1022 nm) images were acquired at Van Zyl Overlook (VZO), spanning phase angles from ∼0° to 150°, to model photometric parameters for seven surface units. These units included rocks, soils, regolith, and rover tracks near the Jezero landing site. Observations at five wavelengths were collected as stereo mosaics under varying illumination geometries and converted to radiance and reflectance using calibration targets. Stereo disparity maps were generated to derive topography and associated illumination and viewing geometries, including incidence, emission, and phase angles. Regions of interest were identified for seven unit types: “blue” soils, dusty “red” soils, regolith, dust‐poor “blue” rocks, dusty “red” rocks, intermediate‐toned rocks, and rover tracks. Hapke models using both 1‐term and 2‐term Henyey–Greenstein single‐scattering phase‐functions were fit to data to estimate single‐scattering albedo ( w ), macroscopic roughness (), and scattering parameters (ξ, b, c ). Blue rocks exhibited relatively low w and strong backscattering, similar to early‐mission Mars Science Laboratory results, while red and intermediate rocks displayed higher w , weaker backscattering, and more forward‐scattering trends. Blue soil and rover tracks had w spectra consistent with more ferrous material. Rover tracks showed unexpected backscattering relative to previous observations, but also the lowest and h values, consistent with compaction from wheel interaction. These results highlight both similarities and key differences in scattering behavior among Mars sites and motivate Hapke modeling of additional Mars 2020 and Mars Science Laboratory data sets to refine interpretations of Martian surface scattering properties and improve terrain characterization.