High Altitude Synthetic Aperture Imaging of Titan

Details High Altitude Synthetic Aperture Imaging of Titan High Altitude Synthetic Aperture Imaging of Titan

Sep 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.5609w&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #56.09; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.586

Computer Science

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Scientific paper

The Cassini spacecraft has been conducting observations of Titan since July 2004 . Currently, 6 close flyby's have collected synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data giving image resolutions down to 300 - 500 m. About 14 additional close radar imaging passes are planned. To improve radar coverage and increase the synergy with other Cassini imaging instruments such as VIMS and ISS, the radar team has started experimenting with very high altitude SAR imaging where conditions permit. This presentation will examine the performance trade-offs, special processing issues, and science potential of these high altitude SAR observations. These data collections are distinct from the normal Titan SAR images because the range will be much larger (around 20,000 km). To acquire enough signal in these circumstances, the radar operates in the lowest bandwidth scatterometer mode while spacecraft pointing control is used to slowly pan the central beam across a small swath. Due to a lower signal to noise ratio these high altitude images are designed to average together 150-200 independent looks to see features that may lie below the noise floor. So far, three high altitude images have been acquired during Titan flyby's T12, T13, and T15. In T12 imaging was attempted from 37000 km with an effective resolution around 5 km. In T13 the Huygens Probe landing site was imaged from 11000 km with effective resolution of 1 - 2 km. In T15 the Tsegehi area was imaged from 20000 km with effective resolution of 2 - 3 km.

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