Rafael F. Rincon
(AST, ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTATION SYS)
| Email: | rafael.f.rincon@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.614.5725 |
| Org Code: | |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 619.1 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: |
Brief Bio
Rafael Rincon is a senior engineer with the Microwave Instruments Technology Branch at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Rincon has over 20 years of experience in the area of active remote sensing. He is the principal investigator and lead engineer in several NASA projects for the formulation and development of innovative technologies and techniques in radar remote sensing for Earth and Planetary applications. His main area of research is the development of advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments, software defined radar waveforms, and digital beamforming. Dr. Rincon research focuses on the development of SAR instruments for Planetary and Earth science applications and has extensive experience developing end-to-end radar systems. He is the lead engineer for the Space Exploration SAR and the principal investigator for the airborne Digital Beamforming Synthetic Aperture Radar (DBSAR) and second generation DBSAR systems (DBSAR-2). He is also the lead engineer and co-investigator in the development of the P-band Polarimetric and Interferometric Ecosystem SAR (EcoSAR) instrument and the multi-frequency Snow Water Equivalent Synthetic Aperture Radar and Radiometer (SWESARR). His expertise span SAR and Interferometric SAR hardware and algorithms, Multi-channel RF systems, advanced radar waveform design, digital radar and digital beamforming, physical parameter estimation, and electromagnetic modeling. He has been involved in investigation for the measurement of ecosystem structure and biomass, permafrost, topography, surface water, snow cover, and ice dynamics. In addition, Dr. Rincon has participated in numerous radar airborne campaigns (e.g., SWESSAR SnowEx 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2023 campaigns; EcoSAR 2014; and Eco-3D 2012 & 2011) where he led or coordinated flight planning and logistics, flight line design, instrument operation, data quality assessment, and deployment of calibration targets. He holds M.Sc. and D.Sc. degrees in Electrophysics from the George Washington University.
Current Projects
SESAR-LITE
Remote Sensing
Development of SESAR-LITE (Space Exploration Synthetic Aperture Radar - Lunar Investigations Targeted Experiment), a compact P-band (70 cm wavelength, 435 MHz) polarimetric synthetic aperture radar designed to fly on a smallsat orbital lunar missions. The radar would provide better than 10 m spatial resolution imaging to uncover the stratigraphy of the lunar regolith, addressing multiple Artemis science goals.
Three-dimensional Characterization of the Complex Dielectric Permittivity (CDP) of Planetary Rocks
Planetary Geology
Development of a new and unique, non-destructive methodology for the three-dimensional (3-D) characterization of the complex dielectric permittivity (CDP) of arbitrary shaped planetary rocks and Earth analog samples. The goal of this work is to produce the first world-class type facility for the 3-D “mapping” of the isotropic and anisotropic dielectric properties of a variety of rock and soil samples, relevant to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) observations of Mars and the Moon. Our 3-D “volumetric” assessment measurement system will be essential for properly interpreting the microwave remote sensing data to be collected by upcoming orbital polarimetric SAR missions to Mars and the Moon.
Radar Scattering Modeling
Theory & Modeling
In an effort to gain a comprehensive understanding of the subsurface detection capability of P-band and L-band orbital radars for the Moon and Mars, we have been developing and evaluating radar scattering models. These models permit a thorough evaluation of key radar performance metrics for given sets of radar parameters and Lunar and Martian surface and shallow subsurface scenarios.
Positions/Employment
Senior Radar Engineer
Microwave Instruments Technology Branch at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. - Greenbelt Maryland
May 2002 - Present
Awards
NASA Invention of the Year (IOY) Award for 2022 - First Runner-Up 6/23/2022
Exceptional achievement medal 8/28/2019
Robert H. Goddard Award - Exceptional Achievement for New Opportunities Captured 4/25/2019
Robert H. Goddard Award - Exceptional Achievement for Engineering 3/31/2015
Robert H. Goddard Award - Exceptional Achievement Engineering 9/22/2009
AETD Excellence Award for Engineers 7/6/2015
Instrument Systems and Technology Division Award (ISTD) Engineer Excellence Award 2015
AETD Win New Work & Science & Technology Advancement Award 3/7/2012