Performance Simulator for a Wind Scatterometer

Towards the middle of the decade, Europe will launch the next generation of its Earth Resources Satellites, ERS 1. One Sensor, the Wind Scatterometer will be used to measure the wind vectors over the oceans. This paper describes the computer performance simulation which will be used to optimise the sensor design. System geometry, propagation path and receiver processing modelling on a desk-top computer provides an interactive tool for rapidly investigating design changes. Program description is non-mathematical and includes copies of selected outputs for clarification.