Engineering topics
Ricketts, W.
Publications and source records attributed to Ricketts, W..
ARMAR: An airborne rain-mapping radar
A new airborne rain-mapping radar (ARMAR) has been developed by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for operation on the NASA Ames DC-8 aircraft. The radar operates at 13.8 GHz, the frequency to be used by the radar on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). ARMAR simulates the TRMM radar geometry by looking downward and scanning its antenna in the cross-track direction. This basic compatibility between ARMAR and TRMM allows ARMAR to provide information useful for the TRMM radar design, for rain retrieval algorithm development, and for postlaunch calibration. ARMAR has additional capabilities, including multiple polarization, Doppler velocity measurement, and a radiometer channel for brightness temperature measurement. The system has been tested in both ground-based and airborne configurations. This paper describes the design of the system and shows results of field tests.
Polarimetric Measurements of Sea Surface Brightness Temperature Using an Aircraft K-Band Radiometer
This paper presents the first experimental evidence that the polarimetric brightness temperatures of sea surfaces are sensitive to ocean wind direction in the incidence angle range of 30 to 50 degrees.
Pulse Compression with Very Low Sidelobes in an Airborne Rain Mapping Rada
The pulse compression system for an airborne rain mapping rada is described. This system uses time domain weighting of the transmit pulse and is able to achive a pulse compression sidelobe level of -55 dB. This is significantly lower than any values previously reported in the open literature.