Block adaptive quantization of Magellan SAR data

A report is presented on a data compression scheme that will be used to reduce the SAR (synthetic-aperture radar) data rate on the US NASA Magellan (MGN) mission to Venus. The MGN spacecraft has only one scientific instrument, namely, a radar system that is used for imaging the surface. for altimetric profiling of the planet topography, and for measuring radiation of the planet surface. A straightforward implementation of the scientific requirements of the mission results in a data rate higher that can be accommodated by the available system bandwidth. A data-rate-reduction scheme which includes operation of the radar in burst mode and block adaptive quantization of the SAR data is selected to satisfy the scientific requirements.<
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