MRI: Development of a Reconfigurable Radar for UAS Applications

这项提议旨在开发一种高度可配置的雷达系统，旨在集成到可以在宽频谱上运行的无人机系统上。这些技术潜在的遥感应用是深远的，能够在常规监测冰盖、海冰、积雪、土壤湿度、作物健康和其他领域进行变革性研究。该项目将针对与冰盖、海冰和积雪相关的应用。这项工作的更广泛影响包括增加对具有足够射程和有效载荷能力进行地球物理调查的无人驾驶航空系统的科学利用。雷达系统的灵活性和小尺寸使其能够集成到各种中型无人驾驶飞机上，使我们能够在极地科学界和其他领域寻求其他合作机会。机载探冰雷达是收集冰层厚度和基本地形数据的关键工具。虽然在过去几十年里进行了几次大规模的航空调查，但格陵兰，更具体地说，南极洲的主要冰盖的许多地区由于范围大和位置偏远而没有进行调查。最近几篇备受瞩目的论文继续指出，冰层厚度数据及其在接地线上的梯度对于改进未来海平面上升的预测非常重要。拟议的系统将满足对极地冰雪测量的持续需求。拟议的雷达将在10 MHz至18 GHz频谱的任何子带上运行，并将从平台航空航天公司集成到香草无人机系统(UAS)，该公司最近创造了超过8天的耐力纪录。该传感器的开发及其在Vanilla UAS上的集成，通过其卓越的范围和耐用性，有可能极大地扩大环境遥感中的机载应用，使其能够在偏远地区进行常规测量。通过这一仪器，该项目的目标是：1)解决冰盖厚度方面的剩余差距，特别是整个南极大陆的冰盖厚度；2)改进冰流量估算；3)提供一种对海冰积雪进行常规监测的手段。这项工作还包括开发定制的气动吊舱，用于安装香草无人机上的雷达天线。这个核磁共振项目将通过将各种子系统的设计和开发融入到广泛的工程课程中来培养几名研究生和本科生。这些项目将使学生掌握STEM劳动力所需的技能，同时让工程专业的学生接触到推动这些新技术需求的环境和社会问题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This proposal seeks to develop a highly configurable radar system designed for integration on Unmanned Aerial Systems that can operate over a wide frequency spectrum. The potential remote sensing applications of these technologies are far-reaching, enabling transformative research in routine monitoring of ice sheets, sea ice, snow cover, soil moisture, crop health, and other areas. This project will target applications associated with ice sheets, sea ice, and snow cover. The broader impacts of this work include increasing scientific access to Unmanned Aerial Systems with sufficient range and payload capabilities to conduct geophysical surveys. The flexibility and small size of the radar system make its integration on a variety of medium unmanned aircraft possible, allowing our pursuit of other collaborative opportunities in the polar science community and beyond. Airborne ice-penetrating radar are a critical tool in collecting ice thickness and basal topography data. While several large-scale airborne surveys have been conducted over the last several decades, many regions of the major ice sheets of Greenland and more specifically Antarctica have not been surveyed due to their large extent and remote locations. Several recent high-profile papers continue to point to the importance of ice thickness data and its gradient at the grounding line for improving future sea-level rise predictions. The proposed system will address the continued call for polar ice and snow measurements.The proposed radar will operate over sub-bands anywhere in the 10 MHz to 18 GHz spectrum and will be integrated onto the Vanilla Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) from Platform Aerospace, which recently set an endurance record exceeding eight days. The development of this sensor and its integration onto the Vanilla UAS has the potential to greatly expand airborne applications in environmental remote sensing through the superior range and endurance allowing routine measurements in remote locations. With this instrument, this project aims to: 1) address the remaining gaps in ice sheet thickness, especially across the Antarctic continent, 2) improve ice-discharge estimates, and 3) provide a means for routine monitoring of snow cover on sea ice. This effort also includes the development of custom aerodynamic pods that will house the radar antennas on the Vanilla UAS. This MRI project will train several graduate and undergraduate students by the incorporation of the design and development of the various subsystems into a wide range of engineering courses. These projects will equip students with the skillset needed by the STEM workforce while exposing engineering students to the environmental and societal issues driving the need for these new technologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.