[Beowulf] Re: blackbox on Mars?

[Jim Lux]

At 02:23 PM 10/30/2006, Geoff Jacobs wrote:
>Jim Lux wrote:
> >
> > reduce the variance.  Something else to do with that Beowulf sitting in
> > your garage..
>I believe these techniques require multiple, short exposure samples.
>Apparently, KH-12s have a capability for real time video. I expect the
>frame rate from such would make multi-sampling a difficult noise
>reduction method to apply.

See, e.g., http://citseer.ist.psu.edu/95070.html
David Tyler,"PARSEC...", We describe a speckle imaging reconstruction 
code written for very fast image reconstruction on a parallel 
computing platform such as the IBM SP2. We describe the algorithms 
used for all stages of image reconstruction and present results of a 
sensitivity study using data obtained with the Maui Space 
Surveillance Site 1.6-m telescope

If that isn't a cluster app.....

 > IR imagery is one thing to think about.  Radar is another.  X band radar
> > (9-10 GHz) easily gives you 3cm sorts of resolution, especially with SAR
> > processing.
>IR imagery does allow remote sensing at night, but it is affected by
>weather. Also, IR typically has less resolution.
>
>Radar allows all-weather remote sensing. Radar antennas are more easily
>compacted for launch, too. However, you won't find Joe Taliban humping
>the Hindu Kush with SAR (unless you can image his Kalishnakov).

Sure you can, if you know where to look.  The real challenge is 
separating the slow moving human from the ground clutter.  Humans 
make a fine radar target (being big jelly bags with high dielectric 
constant, they have a fairly decent RCS).  Could one resolve 
individual features like fingers and toes? Might be a bit 
tricky.  Track a moving car as RGB asked?  Not a problem.  Again, the 
challenge is getting suitable coverage.. you want the angle of 
incidence to be something other than vertical (so you have some 
doppler to help remove clutter), but that implies low satellite 
height, which means you need lots of them for 24/7 coverage.

Check out Discoverer II or "Space Based Radar"




Jim