The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Shallow Radar (SHARAD) sounder emits a 10-watt chirped pulse downswept from 25 to 15 MHz, yielding a 15-meter range resolution in free-space.
Dielectric contrasts between the atmosphere and surface and between layers in the subsurface (e.g., water and carbon-dioxide ices, ash deposits, lava flows) reflect a portion of the radar signal back toward the spacecraft. The returned signals are detected by the same SHARAD antenna that transmitted the original signal moments earlier. The data are processed onboard and back on Earth to produce 2D radargrams, which are cross-sectional views of the returned signal power along MRO's ground track.
For more information regarding SHARAD operations, data collection, and processing, please review the relevant SHARAD PDS Documentation.
SHARAD was provided to MRO by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and is operated under contract to SHARAD Team Leader Roberto Seu at the Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni (DIET), Sapienza – Università di Roma. U.S. team members contribute to operations through the coordination of instrument targeting, led by U.S./Deputy Team Leader Nathaniel Putzig, at the Planetary Science Institute (PSI).
Name | Position | Institution |
---|---|---|
Roberto Seu | Team Leader | Sapienza Università di Roma |
Nathaniel Putzig | U.S./Deputy Team Leader | Planetary Science Institute |
Matthew R. Perry | CO-SHARPS System Manager / Co-Investigator | Planetary Science Institute |
Fabrizio Bernardini | Operations Manager | Sapienza Università di Roma |
Bruce Campbell | Co-Investigator | Smithsonian Institute |
Lynn Carter | Co-Investigator | University of Arizona |
John Holt | Co-Investigator | University of Arizona |
Wlodek Kofman | Co-Investigator | Université Grenoble Alpes |
Lucia Marinangeli | Co-Investigator | Università G. d’Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara |
Gareth Morgan | Co-Investigator | Planetary Science Institute |
Daniel Nunes | Co-Investigator | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
Roberto Orosei | Co-Investigator | Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica |
Elena Pettinelli | Co-Investigator | Università Roma Tre |
Jeff Plaut | Co-Investigator | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
Isaac Smith | Co-Investigator | York University |
In addition to operations support, the U.S. team developed the Colorado SHARAD Radar Processing System (CO-SHARPS), which supplements the Italian-produced standard SHARAD products archived in the Planetary Data System. A primary feature of CO-SHARPS is the processing boutique, which allows the use of custom processing parameters to produce radargrams that may better resolve features specific to individual locations on Mars. CO-SHARPS was established in 2006 (as WU-SHARPS at Washington University in St. Louis) by former SHARAD U.S./Deputy Team Leader Roger Phillips. Since 2016, PSI hosts CO-SHARPS on behalf of the U.S. team.
Access to the CO-SHARPS Processing Boutique is open to all interested parties. For internet security purposes, we provide each user with login credentials. Please click the 'Request CO-SHARPS Access' button and complete the form. A CO-SHARPS staff member will respond with instructions for accessing the system.
Position | Name |
---|---|
Project Manager | Nathaniel Putzig |
System Scientist | Gareth Morgan |
System Manager | Matthew R Perry |
System Administrator | Gavin Nelson |
System Consultant | Fabrizio Bernardini |
System Analyst | Aaron Russell |
System Analyst | Megan B Russell |
5 Most Recent Publications
Title | Authors | Journal | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Subsurface study of the Tharsis graben system using SHARAD data | Bharti, Rajiv R., et al. | Icarus | |
Dynamic development of the Athabasca Valles outflow system from volcanic facies and 15 m scale roughness | Miller, Russell C., et al. | Icarus | |
Three-dimensional imaging of martian glaciated terrain using Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Shallow Radar (SHARAD) observations | Perry, Matthew R., et al. | Icarus | |
Science results from sixteen years of MRO SHARAD operations | Putzig, Nathaniel E., et al. | Icarus | |
Polar science results from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Multiwavelength, multiyear insights | Landis, M.E., et al. | Icarus |