Geophysical radar altimeters for the 1990's
Abstract
Satellite-borne altimeter concepts for altimetric mission are described. These include developments in on-board adaptive processing algorithms and advances in radar hardware technology, which allow significantly-increased coverage of land and land ice surfaces. Beam-limited altimeters overcome the fundamental disadvantages of pulse-limited instruments over these surfaces, and allow considerably lower transmitter powers, though at the expense of large antenna structures and severe spacecraft pointing constraints. Concepts for antenna signal processing utilizing multiple antenna beams to give increased spatial coverage as well as improved performance over nonocean surfaces are presented.
- Publication:
-
European Remote Sensing Opportunities: Systems, Sensors, and Applications
- Pub Date:
- June 1985
- Bibcode:
- 1985urso.symp..157G
- Keywords:
-
- Geophysical Observatories;
- Radio Altimeters;
- Satellite-Borne Instruments;
- Technological Forecasting;
- Antenna Design;
- Ice Reporting;
- Onboard Data Processing;
- Signal Processing;
- Spacecraft Instrumentation