Submillimeter Wave Differential Absorption Radar For Water Vapor Sounding In The Martial Atmosphere

In this study we report on the current state-of-progress of the Water Sounding Short-range Radar (WASSR) project. The proposed WASSR instrument will facilitate estimation of near-surface water vapor profile on Mars. This project is supported under NASA's Maturation of Instruments for Solar System Exploration (MatISSE) program and is a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) differential absorption radar (DAR) instrument. The scope of the work presented here includes a discussion of (i) the science background and motivation for profiling water vapor near the Martian surface, (ii) the differential absorption radar (DAR) technique implemented at the 557 GHz water vapor absorption line, and (iii) the submillimeter wave radar system implementation and characterization.