Title :
Altimetry in the Cassini Mission
Author :
Borgarelli, L. ; Picardi, G. ; Seu, R. ; Faustini, E. Zampolini
Author_Institution :
Alenia Spazio S.p.A., Rome, Italy
Abstract :
The main purpose of the Cassini Mission is the investigation of the geomorphologic structure of Titan, the most interesting moon of the Saturnian system. Titan is completely covered by a dense atmosphere that prevents optical observation. A spacecraft will be launched toward Saturn in 1997. The spacecraft will be equipped with microwave instruments. A multimode radar is one of these instruments and it may operate in altimeter mode. This paper deals with an overview of the design and performance of the altimeter and discusses some different scattering models and their application in the different operative modes of the Cassini altimeter
Keywords :
Saturn; astronomical instruments; planetary satellites; planetary surfaces; radioastronomical techniques; radiotelescopes; space research; spaceborne radar; Cassini Mission; Saturn; Titan; altimeter mode; microwave instrument; multimode radar; planetary satellite surface; radar altimetry; radiotelescope; spacecraft instrumentation; Altimetry; Atmosphere; Bandwidth; Decision support systems; Electronic switching systems; Instruments; Moon; Optical scattering; Pulse amplifiers; Pulse modulation; Radar; Radar scattering; Radio frequency; Saturn; Signal generators; Space vehicles; Testing;
Conference_Titel :
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 1995. IGARSS '95. 'Quantitative Remote Sensing for Science and Applications', International
Conference_Location :
Firenze
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-2567-2
DOI :
10.1109/IGARSS.1995.521820
