Modern airborne and spaceborne imaging radars, known as syntheticaperture radars (SARs), are capable of producing high-quality pictures of the earth's surface while avoiding some of the shortcomings of certain other forms of remote imaging systems. Primarily, radar overcomes the nighttime limitations of optical cameras, and the cloud- cover limitations of both optical and infrared imagers. In addition, because imaging radars use a form of coherent illumination, they can be used in certain special modes such as interferometry, to produce some unique...
Modern airborne and spaceborne imaging radars, known as syntheticaperture radars (SARs), are capable of producing high-quality pict...