SIR-A: Shuttle Imaging Radar Earth Surface Imagery from 1981
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Description
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.
Data is available on a variety of media from NSSDC; specific file formats are unknown.