Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar
Quick Summary
The Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (Mini-SAR) was an instrument aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar space probe. Its primary mission was to search for water ice at the Moon's north and south poles.1
Mini-SAR operated by broadcasting polarized radio waves towards the lunar surface. By measuring changes in the polarization of the reflected echoes, scientists could determine the dielectric constant and porosity of the lunar soil, which are indicators of the presence of water ice.1
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in general is a technique that uses a moving vehicle, like a spacecraft, to create images of stationary objects or surfaces. SAR can operate through atmospheric conditions that would obscure optical imaging and can achieve high resolution independent of range.2
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