Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) was an all-weather imaging tool able to penetrate through clouds and collect data at night. The longer wavelengths could also penetrate into the forest canopy and, in extremely dry areas, through thin sand cover and dry snow pack.
AIRSAR served as a NASA radar technology testbed for demonstrating new radar technology and acquiring data for the development of radar processing techniques and applications.
Data Products
Dataset Description:
- Airborne SAR — synthetic aperture radar
- 1990-2004
- Primarily covers the United States; other tropical locations included
- Datasets identified by place name
Downloadable Data:
- PolSAR: 3-frequency polarimetry
- TOPSAR: C-, L-, and P-band Compressed Stokes Matrix, C-band TIFF, DEM
- ATI — Along-track interferometry: Interferograms
More detailed product descriptions are available from the AIRSAR website
Find AIRSAR data. No proposals required.
Coverage Maps
AIRSAR Technical Specs
| P-band | L-band | C-band | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency/wavelength | 0.45 GHz/67 cm | 1.26 GHz/23 cm | 5.31 GHz/5.7 cm |
| Polarization | Full | Full | Full |
| Range Resolution | 7.5 m | 3.75 m | 1.875 m |
| Swath Width (nominal) | 10 km | 10 km | 10 km |
| Off-Nadir Angle (normal) | 20-60° | 20-60° | 20-60° |
How to Cite Data
Cite data in publications such as journal papers, articles, presentations, posters, and websites. Please send copies of, or links to, published works citing data, imagery, or tools accessed through ASF to [email protected] with “New Publication” on subject line.
How to Cite Imagery
Include credit with each image shown in publications such as journal papers, articles, presentations, posters, and websites. (NASA does not copyright imagery.)
| Format | Example |
|---|---|
| NASA [year of data acquisition] | NASA 2003 |