SIR-B: Shuttle Imaging Radar B Earth Surface Imagery from 1985

SIR-B, a horizontally polarized L-band radar operating at 1.28 GHz, acquired earth images from the space shuttle Challenger in October 1985. The imagery covers areas of Australia, Europe, western South America, North America, and north eastern Africa, with a resolution of approximately 25 meters and swath widths of 20-50 km. The data was collected by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and includes both digitally and optically recorded formats.

Use Cases

• Geographic mapping and land cover classification based on L-band radar imagery.
• Geological feature analysis based on radar backscatter at varying incidence angles.
• Oceanographic studies of surface conditions based on radar imagery over coastal regions.
• Photogrammetric 3D reconstruction based on overlapping images with different viewing geometry.

Strengths

• Imagery was acquired at varying incidence angles from 15 to 60 degrees, providing multiple perspectives.
• Data includes coverage over multiple continents including Australia, Europe, and the Americas.
• Operates at L-band (23 cm wavelength), which is useful for penetrating vegetation and dry surface layers.

Limitations

• Last updated 1984-10-13 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the single mission in October 1985.

Provenance

Source

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Radar Data and Outreach Center

Collection Method

Acquired by the Shuttle Imaging Radar B (SIR-B) instrument on board the space shuttle Challenger.

Time Range

October 1985

Freshness

1984-10-13 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Areas of Australia, Europe, western South America, North America, north eastern Africa, the middle east, Asia, and off the southern coast of Africa.