Impact of Mars ionosphere on orbital radar sounder operation and data processing

Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) after nine years of operation: A summary

“…Especially at times of strong solar activity, these effects can be so strong that they make radar data unintelligible. Over the years since the start of the development of MARSIS, several methods were developed to correct this distortion, such as those by Safaeinili et al (2003), Ilyushin and Kunitsyn (2004), Mouginot et al (2008), Zhang et al (2009) and Cartacci et al (2013). They are all based on the maximization of a function of the signal through the differential variation of the phase of the components of the Fourier signal spectrum.…”

The 3–5MHz global reflectivity map of Mars by MARSIS/Mars Express: Implications for the current inventory of subsurface H2O

“…As these profiles are related to the ionization due to the solar EUV (extreme ultra violet) radiation, the absorption changes on Mars have a first order dependence on solar zenith angle. Safaeinili et al (2003) have described in detail this phenomenon for different states (day/night, etc…) of the Martian ionosphere.…”

Radar Soundings of the Subsurface of Mars

“…Once received on the ground, the spectra are transformed from the frequency domain to the time domain. Processing includes a correction for phase distortion in the ionosphere (6,7).…”