MRI: Development of a Reconfigurable Radar for UAS Applications

该提案旨在开发一种高度可配置的雷达系统，设计用于集成无人机系统，可以在宽频谱上运行。这些技术的潜在遥感应用意义深远，能够对冰盖、海冰、积雪、土壤湿度、作物健康和其他领域的常规监测进行变革性研究。该项目将针对与冰盖、海冰和积雪有关的应用。这项工作的更广泛影响包括增加对无人机系统的科学访问，该系统具有足够的范围和有效载荷能力，可以进行地球物理调查。雷达系统的灵活性和小尺寸使其集成在各种中型无人飞机上成为可能，使我们能够在极地科学界及其他领域寻求其他合作机会。机载破冰雷达是采集冰层厚度和基底地形数据的重要工具。虽然在过去几十年中进行了几次大规模的空中调查，但格陵兰岛主要冰盖的许多地区，特别是南极洲，由于其面积大，位置偏远，尚未进行调查。最近几篇备受瞩目的论文继续指出冰厚数据及其在接地线上的梯度对于改善未来海平面上升预测的重要性。拟议的系统将解决对极地冰雪测量的持续需求。该雷达将在10 MHz至18 GHz频谱的任何子频段上工作，并将集成到平台航空公司的香草无人机系统（UAS）上，该系统最近创造了超过8天的续航记录。该传感器的开发及其集成到Vanilla无人机上，具有通过在远程位置进行常规测量的优越范围和续航能力，极大地扩展环境遥感机载应用的潜力。利用该仪器，该项目旨在：1)解决冰盖厚度的剩余缺口，特别是在整个南极大陆；2)改进冰流量估算；3)提供海冰积雪的常规监测手段。这项工作还包括开发定制的空气动力学吊舱，该吊舱将容纳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纳入广泛的工程课程来培训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，同时使工程专业学生了解推动这些新技术需求的环境和社会问题。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.