|
Abstract:
Scott Hensley, Diane Evans, Paul Rosen and Jakob Van Zyl Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
NASA has used radars for Earth and planetary remote sensing for decades. These radars have been developed for a wide range of science applications and consequently their designs have spanned a wide range of radar frequencies, radar technologies and modes of operation. Spaceborne radar for remote sensing of Earth began with the NASA/JPL L-band Seasat radar in 1978 and continues today with radars used to monitor sea surface winds, sea salinity, soil moisture, clouds and rain, and ocean topography. Earth radars currently in development include the NISAR mission, a partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation to fly a L-band/S-band SAR for solid earth, ecosystem and cyrosphere science, and the SWOT mission, a partnership with CNES to fly a Ka-band interferometric radar to derive mesospheric scale ocean heights and land surface water topography. A robust airborne program provides a testbed for spaceborne radar instruments as well as new science observations.
Radar observations have been equally important for planetary science investigations. Planetary radars have included the Magellan mission to Venus with its S-band SAR, altimeter and radiometer, the Ku-band Cassini radar that is exploring the Saturn system including its moon Titan, and the MARSIS and SHARAD sounders operating at Mars. Future planetary missions being planned or proposed include sounders for Enceladus and Europa, an interferometric mapping radar for Venus and Titan, and a P-band SAR for Mars. This talk will survey these missions, emphasizing the continued and growing role of radars in both Earth and planetary NASA missions.
This research was conducted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with NASA. |