Terrestrial quadstatic interferometric radar observations of Mars

The goal of this research was to develop the techniques to map the surface of Mars using a terrestrial quadstatic radar interferometer. A series of X-band (3.5 centimeter) delay-Doppler radar observations surrounding the 2001 Mars opposition provided a data-set with which to develop the quadstatic technique while exploring one of Mars' unique geologic terrains, the hematite region of Terra Meridiani. Using four telescopes of the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in the interferometer array allowed for the robust solution of the ambiguity inherent to the delay-Doppler radar technique.; The analysis of the collected data focused on observations of Terra Meridiani. The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft detected significant concentrations of crystalline gray hematite in Terra Meridiani, prompting its selection as one of the landing sites for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover mission. Both one-dimensional radar profiles that cross the hematite deposits, and two-dimensional maps of the radar properties of the surface were produced and analyzed.; Two observations produced one-dimensional profiles of the Hagfors' scattering parameters across the hematite deposits. Both show enhanced Fresnel reflection coefficients coincident with the detected hematite deposits. Analysis of the enhancement provides estimates of surface properties that are testable by the Mars Exploration Rover upon its arrival in 2004. Derived roughness for the landing site ellipse show a very smooth surface on the scale of a meter, implying a highly traversable site for the rover.; The highest resolution maps of the Martian radar backscatter coefficient, five kilometers per pixel, are produced for northern Terra Meridiani using the quadstatic interferometric techniques herein developed. Craters and the floor of Ares Valles are anti-correlated with the thermal inertia and larger scale roughness calculated from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter. The addition of high-resolution radar data provides additional information about the surface characteristics of Mars that can be used to decipher the planet's geologic history.