Prototype Cryospheric Experimental Synthetic Aperture Radiometer (CESAR)

• Main Authors: Hilliard, Lawrence M., Phelps, Norman L., Riley, J. T., Markus, Thorsten M., Bland, Geoffrey L., Ruf, Christopher, Lawrence, Roland W., Reising, Steven C., Pichel, Thomas
• Other Authors: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION GREENBELT MD GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2005
• Subjects: Cartography and Aerial Photography; Active & Passive Radar Detection & Equipment; Pilotless Aircraft; Research and Experimental Aircraft; Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; *SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR; *REMOTELY PILOTED VEHICLES; POLAR REGIONS; RADIOMETERS; K BAND; KA BAND; ANTENNA ARRAYS; SYMPOSIA; COMPONENT REPORTS; MMIC(MONOLITHIC MICROWAVE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT); LIGHTWEIGHT RAINFALL RADIOMETER; CRYOSPHERIC PARAMETERS; STAR(SYNTHETIC THINNED ARRAY RADIOMETER) TECHNOLOGY; Hampton; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA453800; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA453800

Significantly enhanced spatial resolution is critically important to reduce the uncertainty of estimated cryospheric parameters in heterogeneous and climatically-sensitive areas; a spot size of no more than 100 m is necessary to retrieve the information needed. At Goddard Space Flight Center, active/passive microwave remote sensing calibration and validation programs have resulted in instrumentation that uses the underside of the fuselage and wing space of Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as small remote sensing platforms. The Cryospheric Experimental Synthetic Aperture Radiometer (CESAR) is a NASA proposal to fly K-Band and Ka-Band thinned arrays on a UAV in order to measure at 100 meter ground resolution. Prior to the flight of CESAR, a prototype CESAR will be tested with elements that will fly at lower altitudes to begin the system level testing of the synthetic array with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components. The K-Band and Ka-Band COTS prototype receivers will be augmented with monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and multi-chip module receivers to be developed at Colorado State University. These miniaturized MMIC-based receivers have been designed to be installed inside the wing of the CESAR UAV, a specialized vehicle developed specifically for this high spatial resolution research. The antenna element positions along the wing will be monitored to allow for correction in software of deviations from a planar collecting array. In addition to the MMIC-based receivers, CESAR will employ a correlator chip developed for the Lightweight Rainfall Radiometer (LRR). This rad-hardened low power and low mass system was developed for Synthetic Thinned Array Radiometer (STAR) systems where mass and power are minimized to result in the largest collecting aperture possible on a given platform. Prepared in collaboration with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA; Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO; and Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN. Presented at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (25th) (IGARSS 2005) held 25-29 Jul 2005 in Seoul, Korea. Published in the 2005 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium Proceedings; see also ADM001850. The original document contains color images.