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UAVSAR - A New Airborne L-Band Radar for Repeat Pass InterferometryNASA/JPL has developed a new airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) which has become available for use by the scientific community in January, 2009. Pod mounted, the UAVSAR was designed to be portable among a variety of aircraft, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The instrument operates in the L-Band, has a resolution under 2m from a GPS altitude of 12Km and a swath width of approximately 20Km. UAVSAR currently flies on a modified Gulfstream-III aircraft, operated by NASA s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. The G-III platform enables repeat-pass interferometric measurements, by using a modified autopilot and precise kinematic differential GPS to repeatedly fly the aircraft within a specified 10m tube. The antenna is electronically steered along track to assure that the antenna beam can be directed independently, regardless of speed and wind direction. The instrument can be controlled remotely, AS AN OPTION, using the Research Environment for Vehicle Embedded Analysis on Linux (REVEAL). This allows simulation of the telepresence environment necessary for flight on UAS. Potential earth science research and applications include surface deformation, volcano studies, ice sheet dynamics, and vegetation structure.
Document ID
20090019751
Acquisition Source
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Mace, Thomas H.
(NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Edwards, CA, United States)
Lou, Yunling
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
May 4, 2009
Subject Category
Research And Support Facilities (Air)
Report/Patent Number
DFRC-931
Meeting Information
Meeting: 33rd International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment
Location: Stresa
Country: Italy
Start Date: May 4, 2009
End Date: May 8, 2009
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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