(-18-) From: NasaNews
Date: Feb 7 20:46 UTC
Subject: Radar Studies Site in Cambodia
SPACE RADAR STUDIES ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE IN CAMBODIA
Images from the international Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) may help
researchers find previously unknown settlements near the ancient city
of Angkor in Cambodia.
The radar data was obtained during the October flight of NASA's Space
Shuttle Endeavour, processed and sent to the World Monuments Fund (WMF)
in January. The group had approached the radar science team about
observing the Angkor area after SRL's first flight in April 1994.
"I had read about the radar mission while the April flight was in
progress and instantly surmised that it would have applications to the
international research efforts at Angkor," said John Stubbs, program
director for the fund. "I didn't really know where to start, but I was
hopeful NASA would be willing to image the area around Angkor."
Angkor, a vast complex of more than 60 temples dating back to the ninth
century A.D., served as the spiritual center for the Khmer people. At
its height, the city housed an estimated population of one million
people and was supported by a massive system of reservoirs and canals.
The April flight of SRL's complementary radars, the Spaceborne Imaging
Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-SAR), first demonstrated
their capability to obtain vast amounts of data applicable to
ecological, oceanographic, geologic and agricultural studies.
"We realized after the huge success of the first flight that we could
be more flexible in adding new sites to the timeline of flight two,"
said Dr. Diane Evans, the SIR-C project scientist at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA. "Since our science team was
interested in studying as much of the tropical rain forest as possible,
Cambodia and the Angkor site seemed to be a great complement to our
ecology objectives."
Today, Angkor is hidden beneath a dense rain forest canopy. Its
temples have been ravaged by weather, war and looters. Its extensive
irrigation system has fallen into disuse.
"The radar's ability to penetrate clouds and vegetation makes it an
ideal tool for studying Angkor," Stubbs said. "I can see the
canal-and-reservoir system very clearly in the radar imagery, and
preliminary analysis reveals what may be evidence of organized
settlements of large tracts of land to the north of the present
archeological park, which until now, has gone unnoticed."
The SIR-C/X-SAR data will be used by the WMF, the Royal Angkor
Foundation and research teams from more than 11 countries to understand
how the city grew and then fell into disuse over 800 years.
"The 'temple mountain' monuments at Angkor, such as Angkor Wat and the
Bayon, are not unlike some of the pyramidal forms encountered in
Central America," Stubbs said. "The sheer size and sophistication of
Angkor's great city plan, now enveloped in dense jungle, sets this
ancient capital apart as the ultimate jungle ruin."
SIR-C/X-SAR is a joint mission of the United States, German and Italian
space agencies. JPL built and manages the SIR-C portion of the mission
for NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth.
NOTE: SIR-C/X-SAR radar images are available from JPL's public access
computer site, via Internet and the World Wide Web, at the address
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov, by anonymous file transfer protocol (ftp) at
the address jplinfo.jpl.nasa.gov, or by dialup modem to the telephone
number (818) 354-1333.
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- T o d d E. V a n H o o s e a r -
``'''vanhoose@lalaland.cl.msu.edu - vanhoose@msu.edu - vanhoose@lalaland.cl.msu.edu
(._.) Michigan State University - East Lansing, MI USA
(_) Computer Laboratory - Department of Communication
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