Impact of environmental, instrumental and data processing parameters on the performance of the Radar for Icy Moon Exploration

Il radar sounding è una tecnica molto promettente per la ricerca di ambienti abitabili sulle lune ghiacciate di Giove, poiché permetterà di osservare direttamente sotto la superficie fino a profondità di diversi chilometri. In questo lavoro si è seguita una metodologia basata sull'utilizzo di dati raccolti su terreni analoghi di altri corpi del sistema solare, per valutare l'impatto di alcuni parametri fondamentali sulle prestazioni di RIME (Radar for Icy Moon Exploration)

The WISDOM Radar: Unveiling the Subsurface Beneath the ExoMars Rover and Identifying the Best Locations for Drilling

The search for evidence of past or present life on Mars is the principal objective of the 2020 ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Rover mission. If such evidence is to be found anywhere, it will most likely be in the subsurface, where organic molecules are shielded from the destructive effects of ionizing radiation and atmospheric oxidants. For this reason, the ExoMars Rover mission has been optimized to investigate the subsurface to identify, understand, and sample those locations where conditions for the preservation of evidence of past life are most likely to be found. The Water Ice Subsurface Deposit Observation on Mars (WISDOM) ground-penetrating radar has been designed to provide information about the nature of the shallow subsurface over depth ranging from 3 to 10 m (with a vertical resolution of up to 3 cm), depending on the dielectric properties of the regolith. This depth range is critical to understanding the geologic evolution stratigraphy and distribution and state of subsurface H2O, which provide important clues in the search for life and the identification of optimal drilling sites for investigation and sampling by the Rover's 2-m drill. WISDOM will help ensure the safety and success of drilling operations by identification of potential hazards that might interfere with retrieval of subsurface samples

The influence of environmental conditions on volcanic processes on the terrestrial planets

This thesis aims to identify what environmental conditions are most influential on volcanic processes on the terrestrial planets. The research primarily focuses on intermediate-sized volcanoes on Venus and Mars; complete surveys of these planets have been performed in order to compile a new catalogue of all such features that lists morphological and locational information for each one. This has yielded three key findings: evolutionary precursors of large volcanoes and several morphologies of steep-sided domes have been identified on Venus, and low-relief shields with very similar morphologies have been identified on Venus and Mars. In each case, morphological differences and similarities are interpreted with respect to the changing configuration of magma within the edifices, differences in surface environment, and magma properties and supply rate. The research topic is also approached from two other aspects. Data obtained by the MARSIS radar sounder have been scrutinized in order to identify aquifers in the shallow Martian crust, and from this gauge the potential for crustal water to have influenced past volcanic activity. However, MARSIS has not succeeded in resolving Martian aquifers, leading to an independent estimate of its aquifer detection depth, and the conclusion that this instrument is insufficient to significantly constrain estimates of the crustal water budget. In addition, ground-penetrating radar surveys have been performed on Icelandic rootless cones, a category of small volcanic feature, in order to determine how their environments have affected their morphologies and interior structures during formation and subsequent modification. Five Icelandic cones have been surveyed, and three classes of cone morphology have been identified. Analogous cone morphologies are observed on Mars, and have been correlated to their interpreted modification environments using the results of the Icelandic surveys as a basis

Subsurface Mapping of Deserts and Polar Regions Using Radar Data on Earth and Mars

There are abundant resources buried underground that are difficult to be investigated remotely. This thesis is concerned with the development and utility of various novel processing methods for different radar instruments in the field of subsurface mapping on Earth and Mars. Firstly, advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging and Interferometric SAR (InSAR) techniques are applied to assess their potential for revealing subsurface features in the eastern Sahara Desert. The radar penetration depth at L-band (1.25 GHz) is estimated to be 1-2 m over paleochannels in the Sahara Desert, given an initial assumption that radar penetration occurs in the sand accumulation areas. The L-band frequency of previous and existing spaceborne SAR mission is shown to limit the penetration depth to a few metres below the surface. However, over the terrestrial ice-sheets, a radar instrument, the Multi-Coherent Radar Depth Sounder (MCoRDS) from the NASA Operation Ice Bridge (OIB) mission, can penetrate the ice sheet down to 3 km, revealing extensive englacial layers. An automated layer tracing method based on the Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) and Hough Transform (HT) is proposed to detect and digitise these englacial layers in Greenland. The results show that this proposed method can restore at least 72% of the isochrones when compared with previous results. Given the research interests of the department and inspired by the similarity of the layering phenomenon between the Earth and Martian polar regions, the layer tracing method is adjusted and applied to SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) radargrams from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This method is demonstrated on the SHARAD data in Promethei Lingula as this 6 is the only region with coherent subsurface echo returns near the south pole, resulting in the extraction of six distinct subsurface interfaces, which record past depositional and erosional history and may be associated with past climate change on Mars

Workshop on Radar Investigations of Planetary and Terrestrial Environments : February 7-10. 2005, Houston, Texas

Focuses on the capabilities of radar sounding and imaging systems to address issues such as: the subsurface geology and distribution of water on the Earth, Moon, Mars, and Europa, investigating the paleohydrology of planetary surfaces and identifying potential subsurface habitats capable of sustaining primitive life forms.Sponsored by: Lunar and Planetary Institute, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Southwest Research Institute.Conveners: Essam Heggy., Lunar and Planetary Institute, Stephen Clifford, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Tom Farr, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cynthia Dinwiddie, Southwest Research Institute, Bob Grimm, Southwest Research Institute.PARTIAL CONTENTS: The Goldstone Solar System Radar: 1988-2003 Earth-based Mars Radar Observations / A. F. C. Haldemann, K. W. Larsen, R. F. Jurgens, and M A. Slade--Mapping Subsurface Stratigraphy and Anomalies in Iron-rich Volcanoclastics Using Ground-penetrating Radar: Potential for Shallow Sounding on Mars / E. Heggy, S. Clifford, R. Grimm, S. Gonzalez, D. Bannon, and D. Wyrick--Dielectric Map of the Martian Surface / E. Heggy and A. Pommerol--Surface Clutter Removal in Airborne Radar Sounding Data from the Dry Valleys, Antarctica / J. W. Holt, D. D. Blankenship, D. L. Morse, M E. Peters, and S. D. Kempf--Comparing Transient Electromagnetics and Low Frequency Ground Penetrating Radar for Sounding of Subsurface Water in Mars Analog Environments / J. A. Jernsletten and E. Heggy--The MARSIS Radar, Signal Simulation and Interpretation Using MOLA Topography Data / W. Koftnan, J. F. Nouvel, A. Herique, and J.-E. Martelal--A Phase Signature for Detecting Wet Structures in the Shallow Subsurface of Mars Using Polarimetric P-band SAR / Y: Lasne, Ph. Paillou, and J.-M Matezieux--Experimental Validation of the Mono and Bistatic Operating Mode of a GPR Dedicated to the Martian Subsurface Exploration / A. Le Gall, V. Ciorlelli, J. J. Berthelier, R. Ney, F. Dolon, and S. Bonoime

The Sixth International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration : September 5-9, 2016, Reykjavik, Iceland

The conference is designed to pull together the current state of Mars polar research from many fields, including geology, atmospheric, and climate sciences.European Geophysical Union Icelandic Meteorological Office International Association of Cryospheric Sciences Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) NASA Mars Program Office Planetary Science Institute Southwest Research Institute Université de Nantes University of Iceland in ReykjavikConference Organizing Committee, Isaac Smith, Convener, Southwest Research Institute [and 7 others] ; Science Organizing Committee, Wendy Calvin, University of Nevada [and 13 others

The ScanMars Subsurface Radar Sounding Experiment on AMADEE-18

Terrestrial simulations for crewed missions are critically important for testing technologies and improving methods and procedures for future robotic and human planetary exploration. In February 2018, AMADEE-18 simulated a mission to Mars in the Dhofar region of Oman. During the mission, a field crew coordinated by the Österreichisches Weltraum Forum (OeWF) accomplished several experiments in the fields of astrobiology, space physiology and medicine, geology, and geophysics. Within the scientific payload of AMADEE-18, ScanMars provided geophysical radar imaging of the subsurface at the simulated landing site and was operated by analog astronauts wearing spacesuits during extra-vehicular activities. The analog astronauts were trained to operate a ground-penetrating radar instrument that transmits and then collects radio waves carrying information about the geological setting of the first few meters of the subsurface. The data presented in this work show signal returns from structures down to 4 m depth, associated with the geology of the investigated rocks. Integrating radar data and the analog astronauts' observations of the geology at the surface, it was possible to identify the contact between shallow sediments and bedrock, the local occurrence of conductive soils, and the presence of pebbly materials in the shallow subsurface, which together describe the geology of recent loose sediments overlying an older deformed bedrock. The results obtained by ScanMars confirm that subsurface radar sounding at martian landing sites is key for the geological characterization at shallow depths. The geologic model of the subsurface can be used as the basis for reconstructing palaeoenvironments and paleo-habitats, thus assisting scientific investigations looking for traces of present or past life on the Red Planet. The ScanMars radar was operated following procedures and training developed before the mission. Approximately 2000 m of radar data profiles have been acquired during the analog mission. Combining the results for ScanMars, orbital remote sensing data, and first-person observation in the field while wearing spacesuits (analog astronauts), it was possible to generate a geological model at the AMADEE-18 study site.</sec

Mars Workshop on Amazonian and Present Day Climate : June 18–22, 2018, Lakewood, Colorado

The Mars workshop is intended as the first of many meetings to promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas regarding the last 3 Ga of martian polar and climate history, including its environment and processes.Organizers: Planetary Science Institute, NASA Mars Program Office, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Conveners: Isaac Smith, Planetary Science Institute, Serina Diniega, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Science Organizing Committee: Than Putzig, Planetary Science Institute [and 8 others]PARTIAL CONTENTS: Geomorphological Evidence of Local Presence of Ice-Rich Deposits in Terra Cimmeria, Mars / S. Adeli, E. Hauber, G. Michael, P. Fawdon, I. B. Smith, and R. Jaumann--Middle Amazonian Accumulations of Ice-Rich Dust in the Mid-Latitudes of Mars / D. M. H. Baker--Thermal Properties of the North Polar Residual Cap / J. Bapst, S. Byrne, J. L. Bandfield, and P. O. Hayne--Correlation of the Visible and Radar Stratigraphic Records of Mars’ NPLD / P. Becerra, D. Nunes, I. B. Smith, M. M. Sori, Y. Brouet, and N. Thomas--Tagging Dust and Water in the NASA Ames Mars GCM: A New Global Vision of the Martian Climate / T. Bertrand, M. A. Kahre, R. J. Wilson, and A. Kling--The Mass Balance of Mars’ Spiral Troughs / A. M. Bramson, S. Byrne, J. Bapst, and I. B. Smith--Time Evolution of Swiss Cheese Terrains in the Martian South Polar Cap / V. F. Chevrier, M. S. Fusco, K. Farnsworth, J. P. Knightly, and A. Yazdani

Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2017, nr 3

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Workshop on Ices, Oceans, and Fire : Satellites of the Outer Solar System, August 13-15, 2007, Boulder, Colorado

The purpose of this workshop is to bring together researchers focused on specific satellites or mechanisms to share their work in the broader context of common processes and unique properties shaping the satellites of the outer solar system.sponsors, Lunar and Planetary Institute, National Aeronautics and Space Administrationconvener, Curt NieburPARTIAL CONTENTS: The Impact of Cratering in the Outer Solar System / P.M. Schenk -- Aurora on Ganymede / M.A. McGrath -- The Role of Tides in Tectonic Formation and Eruption Activity on Satellites in the Outer Solar System / T. Hurford -- Modeling Europa's Surface Composition with Cryogenic Sulfate Hydrates / J.B. Dalton III -- The Convective Dynamics of Icy Satellites and Implications for Surface Evolution / A. Showman