RADSAR (RADiometric SAR) experimental results

The military and the meteorological communities have long sought an all-weather, day-night, passive means of imaging terrain, rain, sea surface and atmospheric conditions. Spatial resolution requirements range from kilometers to 1 meter. In 1980, Professor Vernon Soumi (University of Wisconsin) challenged Hughes Aircraft Co. to develop a meteorological, spaceborne, microwave radiometer with a resolution approaching that of optical systems. That challenge led to the invention of RADSAR, a passive synthetic array radiometer system. Patent No.4,990,925 was issued in February of 1991. In 1994 and in 1995, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research granted SBIR contracts to Radsar Group Incorporated to develop and demonstrate RADSAR for meteorological and other applications. The first experimental results validating the RADSAR performance were achieved in late 1997. The paper discusses the concept and AFOSR demonstration.