“The Josephine Lawrence Hopkins Foundation Colloquium” - Radar Sounders For Planetary Exploration

Abstract:

Radar sounders are a valuable tool for planetary exploration and have been used to probe the subsurface of planets and moons. Some examples are MARSIS and SHARAD which are currently operating on Mars and have been able to detect subsurface structures at depths of up to a few km under the surface. Another example is given by the Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) on board the Japanese Kaguya Mission. Future radar sounders include REASON and RIME that will study the subsurfaces of the ice-crusted Galilean moons. Recently, the Cassini RADAR has been used as a sounder to probe the depth and constrain the composition of hydrocarbon seas on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. Herein, we present the results of data processing and analysis applied to Cassini RADAR and SHARAD. On Titan, recent sounding observation over the large seas have revealed their depth and composition. On Mars, a novel technique applied to parallel orbit tracks of SHARAD data can be used to suppress surface clutter and enhance the resolution and sensitivity of sub surfacing imaging.