Recent developments in active microwave systems at JPL

Provides an overview of some recent developments in active microwave remote system systems at JPL. The authors describe the preliminary engineering and scientific results from the two recent flights of the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) on the space shuttle Endeavor. The key features of the radar design are summarized and the potential applications of the radar results to Earth science are described. The author also describes the recent progress in the development of interferometric SAR for high resolution topography mapping. The principle of this technique and results from airborne experiments are presented. Finally, development of meteorological radars for rain and cloud measurements is discussed. The design of an airborne rain mapping radar that was developed to support the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission is summarized. In addition, the design and development of an airborne 94 GHz cloud mapping radar are discussed.>