Alaska Satellite Facility - Distributed Active Archive Center

Global Ice Sheet Mapping Orbiter (GISMO)

GISMO Overview

The Global Ice-Sheet Mapping Observatory (GISMO) spaceborne radar system was a part of the NASA Instrument Incubator Project (IIP). The IIP program was designed to provide a testing opportunity for emerging technology in order to create smaller and more efficient flight instruments. GISMO had a specific focus in measuring the surface topography of ice sheets, ice-sheet thickness, and in uncovering physical properties of the glacier bed using synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

The GIMSO project lasted for three years and had documented flight lines over the Greenland Ice Sheet in 2006, 2007, and 2008. It utilized VHF and P-band interferometric radars and tested different methods of clutter rejection in order to find the method most suitable for the project’s focus.

GISMO achieved mapping the physical properties of a glacier bed through up to 5 km of ice. It also created an effective clutter rejection technique for measuring the ice sheet’s surface and base. GISMO has applications in predicting the effects of climate change on ice sheets and in exploring planets with icy areas.

GISMO Documentation

Public Access Documents. Team documents available only with prior approval.

January 2006 Mid-year Review
Vu-graph Package

February 2006 Airborne Experiment Meeting WFF
Vu-graph Package
Meeting Summary

May 2006 Team Meeting, Vexcel Corp
Agenda, Summary, Plans
Radar Status
Airborne Simulations
May 06 Field Study Summary
Surface-based SAR Summary
Cards Data Format
Scattering Models

Planning Meeting for April 07 — WFF October 06
Overview (Jezek)
Review of May 06 Radar (Gogineni)
Review of May 06 Navigation (Sonntag)
Lessons Learned
Radar for 07 (Gogineni)
Flight Organization (Valiant)

2006 Reports
Jan 2006
March 2006
May 2006
Year 1 Annual Report (.doc)
Year 1 Annual Report (.pdf)
Year 1 Review (.ppt)
August 2006
December 2006

January 2007 Mid-year Review
Mid-year Review Vu-graphs
Mid-year Review Vu-graphs Updated Post Review

GISMO Team Meeting JPL, January 31
PARCA Presentation (Rodriguez)

Progress to Date
Status and Summary of Mid-year Review, Budget Issues (Jezek)

Planning for April 07 Experiment
Science and Engineering Objectives for April 2007 (Jezek)
Radar and Antenna Status (Gogineni)
Vexcel Data Processing Status, Interface and Readiness (Refraction, Motion Compensation, Calibration) (Wu)
JPL Data Processing Status, Interface and Readiness (Refraction, Motion Compensation, Calibration) (Rodriguez)
Navigation (Sonntag)
Arctic 07 Planning Status and Key Milestones (Krabill)
Proposed Flight Lines 123 (Fahnestock and Sonntag) and Discussion
April 07 Experiment Plan and Discussion (Jezek) (see May 06 vu-graphs for sample experiment plan form)

Algorithms, February 1
Tomography Algorithm Status (Wu) (covered above)
InSAR Algorithm Status (Rodriguez)
Update on Multiaperture Beam Processing (Gogineni) (covered above)
Plans for Reducing May 2006 Data to Topography (Wu, Rodriguez, Forster)
Plans for Investigating Ionospheric Effects and Corrections (Freeman)
Data Management Issues, Schedule for Delivery of April 07 Data, Action Items (Jezek)

Vexcel Algorithm Meeting, June 2007
Agenda
Processor Review
Summary and Action Items
Updated InSAR Equation

June 2007 Mid-year Review
2007 Annual Review
Freeman Backup Vu-graphs to Annual Review

August 2007 Radar Readiness Review (KU)

Readiness Review (Gogineni)
Digital Systems (Ledford)
Calibration (Rodriguez)
Processor Status (Wu)
Experiment Plan (Jezek)
Thin Layer Model (Niamsuwan)

2007 Biannual Reports
Feb 07
Jul 07
Sep 07
Nov 07

AGU 05 Abstract
WAIS O5 Poster
JGR Planets PDF File
EUSAR 2006 PDF File
AGU 06 3 Abstracts
EUSAR 08 Jezek : Rodriguez-Morales
EUSAR 2010 Wu
TGARSS 2010 Preprint