Kent H. Kellogg

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission is one of the first Earth observation satellites being developed by NASA in response to the National Research Councils Decadal Survey. SMAP will make global measurements of the soil moisture present at the Earths land surface and will distinguish frozen from thawed land surfaces. Direct observations of soil moisture and freeze/thaw state from space will allow significantly improved estimates of water, energy, and carbon transfers between the land and the atmosphere. The accuracy of numerical models of the atmosphere used in weather prediction and climate projections are critically dependent on the correct characterization of these transfers. Soil moisture measurements are also directly applicable to flood assessment and drought monitoring. SMAP observations can help monitor these natural hazards, resulting in potentially great economic and social benefits. SMAP observations of soil moisture and freeze/thaw timing will also reduce a major uncertainty in quantifying the global carbon balance by helping to resolve an apparent missing carbon sink on land over the boreal latitudes. The SMAP mission concept will utilize L-band radar and radiometer instruments sharing a rotating 6-m mesh reflector antenna to provide high-resolution and high-accuracy global maps of soil moisture and freeze/thaw state every two to three days. In addition, the SMAP project will use these observations with advanced modeling and data assimilation to provide deeper root-zone soil moisture and net ecosystem exchange of carbon. SMAP is scheduled for launch in the 2014-2015 time frame.

The Soil Moisture Active/Passive Mission (SMAP)

The Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) mission will deliver global views of soil moisture content and its freeze/thaw state that are critical terrestrial water cycle state variables. Polarized measurements obtained with a shared antenna L-band radar and radiometer system will allow accurate estimation of soil moisture at hydrometeorological scale (10 km) and hydroclimatological scale (40 km) resolutions. The sensors will share a feed and a deployable light-weight mesh reflector that will make conical scans of the Earth surface at a constant look angle. The wide-swath (1000 km) measurements will allow global mapping of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state with 2-3 days revisit. Freeze/thaw in boreal latitudes will be mapped using the radar at 3 km resolution with 1-2 days revisit. The synergy of active and passive measurements enables global soil moisture mapping with unprecedented resolution, sensitivity, area coverage, and revisit. This paper outlines the science objectives of the SMAP mission and provides an overview of the measurement approach and data products.

Design and calibration of the SeaWinds Scatterometer

The SeaWinds Scatterometer is a Ku-band Earth orbiting remote sensing radar. It has a 1 m dish antenna shared by two beams with respective nadir look angles of 40 and 46 deg, scanning azimuthally to provide greater than 90% daily coverage of the Earth at an altitude of 800 km. The first sensor was launched in 1999 and produces sea surface wind field to 2 m/s accuracy at 25 km resolution. The design and calibration of the SeaWinds radar is described here.

NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, one of the first-tier missions recommended by the 2007 U.S. National Research Council Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space, was confirmed in May 2012 by NASA to proceed into Implementation Phase (Phase C) with a planned launch in October 2014. SMAP will produce high-resolution and accurate global maps of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state using data from a non-imaging synthetic aperture radar and a radiometer, both operating at L-band. Major challenges addressed by the observatory design include: (1) achieving global coverage every 2-3 days with a single observatory; (2) producing both high resolution and high accuracy soil moisture data, including through moderate vegetation; (3) using a mesh reflector antenna for L-band radiometry; (4) minimizing science data loss from terrestrial L-band radio frequency interference; (5) designing fault protection that also minimizes science data loss; (6) adapting planetary heritage avionics to meet SMAPs unique application and data volume needs; (7) ensuring observatory electromagnetic compatibility to avoid degrading science; (8) controlling a large spinning instrument with a small spacecraft; and (9) accommodating launch vehicle selection late in the observatorys development lifecycle.