Digital elevation models of the Moon from Earth-based radar interferometry

Three-dimensional (3-D) maps of the nearside and polar regions of the Moon can be obtained with an Earth-based radar interferometer. This paper describes the theoretical background, experimental setup, and processing techniques for a sequence of observations performed with the Goldstone Solar System Radar in 1997. These data provide radar imagery and digital elevation models of the polar areas and other small regions at 100 m spatial and 50 m height resolutions. A geocoding procedure relying on the elevation measurements yields cartographically accurate products that are free of geometric distortions such as foreshortening.