Radar sounders for Earth and the Planets

摘要

Orbiting radar instruments provide a unique means for measuring, on a large scale, the thickness of ice-sheets onEarth and the planets. Studies undertaken within the context of ESA’s ACRAS project [1] have identified a numberof candidate instruments capable of providing the data needed to determine the distance between ice-sheetsurfaces, internal layers, bedrock, and sub-ice sheet water surfaces. This paper reviews the requirements thatdrive missions associated with Terrestrial sounders and sounders for various planetary destinations. The paperthen identifies candidate instrument configurations for the various missions and predicts their performance andindicative budgets.