page_title: Scatterometer
section_title: Uses
hierarchical_section_title: Scatterometer / Uses
caption_attribution_description: English: Artist's rendering of NASA's ISS-RapidScat instrument attached to the Columbus module (inset).
context_page_description: A scatterometer or diffusionmeter is a scientific instrument to measure the return of a beam of light or radar waves scattered by diffusion in a medium such as air. Diffusionmeters using visible light are found in airports or along roads to measure horizontal visibility. Radar scatterometers use radio or microwaves to determine the normalized radar cross section of a surface. They are often mounted on weather satellites to find wind speed and direction, and are used in industries to analyze the roughness of surfaces.
context_section_description: Examples of use on Earth observation satellites or installed instruments, and dates of operation:
  NSCAT (NASA Scatterometer) instrument on ADEOS I (1996–97)
  SeaWinds instrument on QuikSCAT (2001–2009)
  OSCAT-2 instrument on SCATSAT-1 (launched 2016)
  SCAT instrument on Oceansat-2 (2009–2014)
  ISS-RapidScat on the International Space Station (2014–2016)
  ASCAT on MetOp satellites
  The CYGNSS constellation (launched 2016)
caption: Illustration of the ISS-RapidScat location on the International Space Station
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