PALS
The Passive and Active L band System (PALS) is a combined polarimetric radiometer and NASA-licensed radar sharing a rotating planar array antenna. The PALS instrument includes a combined L-band radiometer and scatterometer , operating at 1.413 GHz and 1.26 GHz respectively.
It was designed and built to investigate the benefits of combining passive and active microwave sensors for ocean salinity and soil moisture remote sensing. It was the prototype for the Aquarius and SMAP missions and has flown more than 800 hours in support of NASA campaigns.
Instrument specifics
- Status: ACTIVE
- Type: Radar, radiometer, scatterometer
- Measurements: Radar backscatter, Ocean Salinity, Soil Moisture
Platform(s)
- C-130
- Twin Otter
- P-3
- DC-8 (retired)
Campaigns flown
- SASSIE
- CARVE
- SMAPEX (Cal/Val)
Contact
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Keywords
soil moisture, ocean salinity, vegetation
