Shuttle Imaging Radar

Shuttle Imaging Radar-C / X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar

past Mission

Type

Instrument

Launch

April 9, 1994

Target

Earth

Objective

Image Earth in three different wavelengths

An instrument that collected data on terrestrial soil moisture content, ocean dynamics, volcanism, tectonics, soil erosion, and desertification, Shuttle Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) flew on two space shuttle Endeavour missions and was a cooperative project of NASA and the German and Italian space agencies. SIR-C was part of the NASA Spaceborne Imaging Radar program that included Seasat, SIR-A, SIR-B, SIR-C, and SRTM.

Learn more about Shuttle Imaging Radar

Shuttle Imaging Radar Stories

Article
5 min read

NASA-DOD Study: Saltwater to Widely Taint Coastal Groundwater by 2100

Article
4 min read

NASA Study: Crops, Forests Responding to Changing Rainfall Patterns

Light and dark blue splotches cover Earth as a yellow band streaks across the Pacific Ocean between Central America and Indonesia.
3 min read

They Grow So Fast: Moon Tree Progress Since NASA’s Artemis I Mission

Article2 hours ago
Hundreds of overlapping objects at various distances are spread across this field. Galaxies’ colors vary. The majority appear orange, pink, and white, some are shades of orange or blue. Most galaxies appear as fuzzy ovals, but a few have distinctive spiral arms. At the very center is a tiny galaxy nicknamed Firefly Sparkle that looks like a long, angled, dotted line. Smaller companions are nearby.
6 min read

Found: First Actively Forming Galaxy as Lightweight as Young Milky Way

Article2 hours ago
2 min read

GSFC Data Science Group Releases Innovative Foundation Model: SatVision Top-Of-Atmosphere (TOA)

Article3 hours ago
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The image is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes. The smallest of these are small, distant, and faint points of light. The largest of these appear larger, closer, brighter, and more fully resolved with 8-point diffraction spikes. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-like streaks rising from the nebula below. The orangish cloudy formation in the bottom half varies in density and ranges from translucent to opaque. The stars vary in color, the majority of which have a blue or orange hue. The cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks, and valleys – an appearance very similar to a mountain range. Three long diffraction spikes from the top right edge of the image suggest the presence of a large star just out of view.

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