Images from the international Space Radar Laboratory may help researchersfind previously unknown settlements near the ancient city of Angkor in Cambodia.The radar data were obtained during the October 1994 flight of the space shuttle Endeavour, processed and then sent in January to the World Monuments Fund in New York City. The group had approached the radar science team about observing the Angkor area after the Space Radar Laboratory's first flight in April 1994. "I HAD READ ABOUT THE RADAR MISSION WHILE THE APRIL MISSION WAS IN PROGRESS AND INSTANTLY SURMISED THAT IT WOULD HAVE APPLICATIONS TO THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EFFORTS AT ANGKOR," said John Stubbs, program director of the World Monuments Fund. "I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHERE TO START, BUT I WAS HOPEFUL NASA WOULD BE WILLING TO IMAGE THE AREA AROUND ANGKOR." Angkor is a vast complex of more than 60 temples dating back to the 9th century that served as the spiritual center for the Khmer people. In its heyday the city housed a population of about 1 million people and was supported by a massive hydrological system of reservoirs and canals.
| Angkor Description |
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