Florence Marly

Technical launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) for use on Mars are very vulnerable to a decline in land use here on planet Earth and beyond the icy moon Europa around the gas giant planet, Jupiter . In addition to Europa, a moon of ice "Titan", the largest moon of Saturn, is also a target for the study.

ESA aboard Mars Express has some experience in pioneering radar currently investigating the Red Planet and searching for any evidence of subsurface reservoirs of water and ice. This technology is very promising for the oceans under the surface beneath the ice crusts of Europa and Titan as well. In our experience to date, liquid water = Life!

However, the technology used by Mars Express can not be used directly on the earth, as the frequency of 5 MHz used for Mars would quickly interfere with radio communications. Experiments are currently underway to adapt the technology for use at 435 MHz, where the radar will not disrupt communications based on the land.

So what are these experiences it? In a boost for research in earth sciences, funded by the General Studies Program of ESA, a new study, which was dubbed the Advanced Concept Radar Sounder (acras) is underway. This technique was first proposed by ESA in the late 90s, however at this time, the technology was not available to filter out false signals. These false signals are first in the ionosphere and earth, and then land outside the target area of the radar.

Acras seems to have found a way around this problem by using multiple radar beams, in this case three beams, each with slightly different properties, using the principles of the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect is best demonstrated by the change in pitch of the siren on a rapid movement of the vehicle as it moves toward you and away from you.

This new study is meeting with success and opens the door for even more precise instruments that could work around the Earth. A satellite equipped with this type of radar can accurately estimate the thickness of the ice sheet of Antarctica and ice covered elsewhere. Data back to reveal the internal structure in three dimensions of the ice sheet, the contours of the land underlying and provide information into the bedrock. Watch how this changes over time will enable climate scientists valuable data. Currently, drilling programs especially costly and difficult to work like this.

As we have all heard the news day after day, melting ice in polar regions are having a huge impact on climate change. The most recent example is the evidence of a large-scale potential bursting of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Not only does this work make a real difference to our understanding of the effects of climate change on the planet by beautiful blue-green that we call home, it could open the door to search for life in our own solar system.
The study is acras conclude by October of this year and indeed a mission field full Satellite is a database are still far away. Florence HELIERE, the agent of ESA study said: "We hope that a test of airborne technology." Source: ESA.

Then you go out to watch the night sky, watching the planets Mars and Saturn to early evening and Jupiter later in the evening. Spare a thought for scientists who work hard have made possible this pioneering work to do.