Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

Question 1

Into what general category of EOS does the instrument fall?

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

Question 2

What capture technology is used?

Scan SAR

Question 3

Is the sensor active or passive?

Active

Question 4

At what wavelength(s) does the sensor function?

SRTM DEMs are generated interferometrically from C- (5.6 cm wavelength) and X-band (3 cm wavelength) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) by measuring the phase differences between SAR images acquired by two antennas spaced 60 m apart.

Question 5

What resolution does the sensor have – temporal and spatial?

Temporal

Question 6

Is the sensor carried on an airborne or spaceborne platform? What is that platform – typically?

Spaceborne platform being a space shuttle with extendable arm. One antenna was located in the shuttle's payload bay, the other on the end of a 60-meter (200-foot) mast that extended from the payload pay once the Shuttle was in space.

Question 7

Who developed/launched/manages the sensor?

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Question 8

Can data be purchased from service providers?

Yes - The data may be obtained by anonymous ftp and moving to the directory srtm where both version 1 and version 2 directories may be found

Or here

Question 9

What products are available?

Radar holograms from both antennas are generated. Interferograms(PIA02723) and

a digital height model (DEM type) can then be used to construct a relief or shaded relief image.

Question 10

At which main application areas is the sensor aimed?

Mission that could systematically map large regional terrains in need of more detailed elevation data for the land. One of the practical uses of SRTM data resides in the monitoring of changes of elevation over time

List 2 specific projects, where they have been reported, their goals and their outcomes.