Enhancing the vertical resolution of lunar penetrating radar data using predictive deconvolution

The Yutu-2 rover onboard the Chang’E-4 mission performed the first lunar penetrating radar detection on the farside of the Moon.The high-frequency channel presented us with many unprecedented details of the subsurface structures within a depth of approximately 50 m.However,it was still difficult to identify finer layers from the cluttered reflections and scattering waves.We applied deconvolution to improve the vertical resolution of the radar profile by extending the limited bandwidth associated with the emissive radar pulse.To overcome the challenges arising from the mixed-phase wavelets and the problematic amplification of noise,we performed predictive deconvolution to remove the minimum-phase components from the Chang’E-4 dataset,followed by a comprehensive phase rotation to rectify phase anomalies in the radar image.Subsequently,we implemented irreversible migration filtering to mitigate the noise and diminutive clutter echoes amplified by deconvolution.The processed data showed evident enhancement of the vertical resolution with a widened bandwidth in the frequency domain and better signal clarity in the time domain,providing us with more undisputed details of subsurface structures near the Chang’E-4 landing site.

Data processing and initial results of Chang'e-3 lunar penetrating radar

To improve our understanding of the formation and evolution of the Moon, one of the payloads onboard the Chang＇e-3 （CE-3） rover is Lunar Penetrating Radar （LPR）. This investigation is the first attempt to explore the lunar subsurface structure by using ground penetrating radar with high resolution. We have probed the subsur- face to a depth of several hundred meters using LPR. In-orbit testing, data processing and the preliminary results are presented. These observations have revealed the con- figuration of regolith where the thickness of regolith varies from about 4 m to 6 m. In addition, one layer of lunar rock, which is about 330 m deep and might have been accumulated during the depositional hiatus of mare basalts, was detected.

Weighted joint calibration for interferometric SAR

Calibration is a processing procedure for across-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar （InSAR） to achieve an accurate three-dimensional location. A calibration technique, called weighted joint calibration, for the generation of wide-area geocoded digital elevation models （DEMs） is proposed. It cali- brates multiple InSAR scenes simultaneously, and allows reducing the number of required ground control points （GCPs） by using tie points （TPs）. This approach may ensure the continuity of three- dimensional location among adjacent scenes, which is necessary for mosaic and fusion of data coming from different scenes. In addition, it introduces weights to calibration to discriminate GCPs and TPs with different coherences and locations. This paper presents the principles and methodology of this weighted joint calibration technique and illustrates its successful application in airborne In- SAR data.