Dara Entekhabi (2019-2021)

Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Professor

Dara Entekhabi was a Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Professor at Purdue Engineering from 2019-2021. An expert in hydrological remote sensing, he is currently the science team leader for the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP). Entekhabi is the Bacardi and Stockholm Water Foundation professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He works in the areas of hydrology, hydroclimatology, and remote sensing. An expert in hydrological remote sensing, he is currently the science team leader for the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Geophysical Union, and the American Meteorological Society.

Entekhabi collaborated with multiple groups across the colleges of Engineering and Science. Research topics focused on new remote sensing techniques for soil and water, in particular the use of "signals of opportunity" in P-band (below 400 MHz), as well as broader applications of data from SMAP. This work impacted the next generation of earth remote sensing mission concepts and the broader hydrology and agriculture communities.

He met with my research team several times during his in-person visits, and he remained on the PhD thesis committee of one of my graduate students.”

James Garrison

Professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics

AAE 590

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Special Project Course!

AAE590: Earth Observation Mission Design

  • Prof. Jim Garrison (AAE)
  • Prof. Dara Entekhabi (MIT, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NAE, NADVP)

This course is intended to provide students in engineering and science with the opportunity to develop a complete Earth observation satellite mission design, starting with the formulation of a compelling scientific hypothesis or applications concept, through selection of measurements and orbital coverage to meet defined science requirements, and concluding with a systems-level design for the satellite platform, instruments, and mission. The project will be structured around the NASA Earth Ventures mission competition, with the final product being presented in the form of a proposal for that competition.

This will be a 2-course sequence and students are encouraged to take both parts. Enrollment will be limited to 12 students total with a balanced participation between engineering students (AAE, ECE) and science/applications students (Civil, Agronomy, EAPS). Part II will be taught in parallel with a section of AAE450 Spacecraft Design.

Part I (Fall 2019)

  • Review of the current state-of-the art in Earth remote sensing missions, and U.S. as well as international policy, in particular, the 2017 NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey.
  • Identify a compelling science hypothesis or applications area, broadly within Earth science, and utilizing Purdue-developed instrument technology.
  • Define mission orbit, constellation parameters and instruments.
  • Conduct Observation System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) - evaluate sensitivity to different mission configurations.
  • Define top-level science requirements.

Part II (AAE590, Spring 2020)

  • Develop simulator for instrument measurement physics.
  • Define instrument and mission requirements.
  • Integrate an End-to-End mission simulator and use it to validate technical requirements.
  • Write mission proposal to future NASA Earth Ventures solicitation.
  • Parallel section of AAE450 Spacecraft Design course: Complete satellite and mission design, including launch vehicle selection, attitude dynamics and control system (ADCS), tracking, telemetry and command (TT&C), thermal and power analysis. Perform systems engineering for project. develop cost estimate and risk assessment.

Land Water, Energy and Carbon Cycles Coupling Diagnosed from Remotely Sensed Global Observations from NASA’s SMAP Mission

October 10, 2019