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Projects
Radar Science & Engineering has been developing radar systems for JPL missions for over 40 years. The engineers and scientists of Section 334 collaborate with colleagues at JPL and the world over on diverse projects and missions that rely on radar for a broad range of results, from the safe, accurate landing of spacecraft to the acquisition of invaluable scientific data.
Some of Section 334's remarkable achievements include:
- The first spaceborne SAR on (SeaSat in 1978
- SAR experiments on the Space Shuttle (SIR-A, 1981; SIR-B, 1984; and SIR-C, 1994)
- The first spaceborne multi-frequency, polarimetric SAR (SIR-C) (1994)
- The Magellan Radar was used to map 98 percent of the surface of Venus (1990)
- The CloudSat 94-GHz Cloud Profiling Radar is improving the understanding of cloud processes, weather prediction and climate trends
- The Cassini Radar has revealed diverse land forms and processes at work on the surface of Titan
- QuikSCAT Ku-band scatterometer measures ocean vector winds (speed and direction) covering 90% of the ocean on a daily basis
- The MARSIS and SHARAD low frequency (UHF/VHF) radar sounders have penetrated the Mars surface structure to reveal hidden subsurface features and water
- The polarimetric L-band UAVSAR measure repeat-pass interferometric measurements of changes of rapidly deforming surfaces such as volcanoes or earthquakes.
Forthcoming and projected projects our section is heavily involved in include:
- DESDynI (Deformation, Ecosystem Structure and Dynamics of Ice mission)
- SMAP (Soil Moisture Active and Passive mission),
- SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission)
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