Beaconless search and rescue overview: history, development, and achievements

Ronald G. Wallace; David W. Affens; Houra Rais

doi:10.1117/12.277101

23 June 1997 Beaconless search and rescue overview: history, development, and achievements

Ronald G. Wallace, David W. Affens, Houra Rais

Proceedings Volume 3069, Automatic Target Recognition VII; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.277101
Event: AeroSense '97, 1997, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

The NASA Search and Rescue Mission at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is carrying out a technology development project intended to complement the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite-based distress alerting and locating system. This system is based on emergency radio beacons and cannot function when beacons fail to operate. The beaconless search and rescue concept utilizes an airborne or spaceborne remote sensing instrument, such as a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), to aid in searching for downed aircraft in remote regions when no beacon is present. Compared with conventional visual search, a radar-based system would be capable of dramatically improving crash site detection due to its wide area coverage and foliage penetration. Moreover, the performance of this system is unaffected by weather conditions and ambient light level and hence it offers quick response time which is vital to the survival of crash victims. The Search and Rescue Mission has conducted a series of field experiments using the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's airborne SAR system (AIRSAR) which has demonstrated the technical feasibility of using SAR. The SAR data processing software (SARDPS) developed at GSFC is used to produce high-quality SAR images for post-processing and analysis. Currently various elements of an operational system are being investigated, including a SAR designed specifically to meet search and rescue needs, real-time or near-real time on-board SAR processing, and processing algorithms for advanced automatic crash site detection, image geo- rectification and map registration.

Citation Download Citation

Ronald G. Wallace, David W. Affens, and Houra Rais "Beaconless search and rescue overview: history, development, and achievements", Proc. SPIE 3069, Automatic Target Recognition VII, (23 June 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.277101

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