SIR-A: Shuttle Imaging Radar Earth Surface Imagery from 1981

Shuttle Imaging Radar A (SIR-A) collected almost 8 hours of L-band radar imagery during the Space Shuttle Columbia's STS-2 mission in November 1981. The instrument operated at 1.28 GHz, producing imagery at a 40-meter resolution with a 50-kilometer swath. This data set provides coverage over several global regions including southern North America, northern South America, north Africa, southern Asia, Europe, Australia, and Pacific islands.

Use Cases

• Geologic analysis based on L-band radar backscatter data
• Topographic mapping based on 40-meter resolution radar imagery
• Land cover change detection over specific regions based on historical coverage
• Comparative studies with later SAR missions (e.g., SIR-B, SIR-C/X-SAR) based on instrument lineage

Strengths

• Imagery was acquired during a dedicated 8-hour instrument operation window.
• Data has a specified 40-meter resolution and 50-kilometer swath width.
• Coverage spans multiple continents and regions as described.

Limitations

• Last updated 1981-11-14 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata (NSSDC), organization SCIOPS

Collection Method

Acquired by the Shuttle Imaging Radar A (SIR-A) instrument aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia.

Time Range

November 1981

Freshness

1981-11-14 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Southern North America, northern South America, north Africa, southern Asia and Europe, Australia and Pacific islands.