Experiment S005: Synoptic terrain photography

Several tentative conclusions can be derived from the results of the synoptic terrain photography experiment, with particular reference to the results from the Gemini mission. The photographs are additional confirmation of the feasibility and value of orbital photographs for geology, geography, and oceanography. The photographs have proven to be of value in the study of the tectonic problems. Although vertical or near-vertical photography is superior to oblique photography, photographs from the Gemini 12 mission have proven that low oblique photographs, and even high oblique photographs, may be of value for certain situations. The oblique views of the Makran Range were useful substitutes for vertical photographs. Equivalent aerial coverage by vertical photographs would have necessitated a camera altitude of several hundred miles. The oblique views of the Sierra Madre Oriental have been used in the search for structures that are approximately normal to the horizon and are enhanced by the foreshortening because of the photograph.