Title :
Spaceborne radar altimetry
Author :
Dobrzanski, Joseph R. ; Smith, Matthew C. ; Roeder, Robert S.
Author_Institution :
ECI Div, E-Syst. Inc., St. Petersburg, FL, USA
Abstract :
A next generation compact, Ku-band, pulse compression radar altimeter (RA) measures sea surface topography to a few centimeters accuracy and provides scientific data for assessing ocean circulation, mean sea-level change and other ocean features. The integrated RA is comprised of a basic altimeter, a water vapor radiometer (WVR) for correcting RA range path delay errors, and a shared antenna system. The RA operates at 13.5 GHz with pulsed 7 watt chirp bandwidth of 320 MHz. The system characteristics, integrated RA/WVR design, and support equipment are discussed. The RA was launched on the US Navy GEOSAT follow-on spacecraft
Keywords :
microwave measurement; ocean waves; oceanographic techniques; pulse compression; radar altimetry; radiometry; spaceborne radar; 13.5 GHz; 320 MHz; 7 W; GEOSAT follow-on spacecraft; Ku-band; SHF; US Navy; chirp bandwidth; integrated design; mean sea-level change; ocean circulation; ocean features; pulse compression radar altimeter; range path delay error correction; scientific data; sea surface topography measurement; shared antenna system; spaceborne radar altimetry; support equipment; system characteristics; water vapor radiometer; Altimetry; Antenna measurements; Oceans; Pulse compression methods; Pulse measurements; Radar measurements; Sea measurements; Sea surface; Spaceborne radar; Surface topography;
Conference_Titel :
Southeastcon '96. Bringing Together Education, Science and Technology., Proceedings of the IEEE
Conference_Location :
Tampa, FL
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3088-9
DOI :
10.1109/SECON.1996.510071
