Sorry but it is absolutely silly to suggest that those claim are some how " untrue" or "jinn science".Absolutely untrue, Prof peddling La-houri jinn science !Ashokk wrote:A minesweeper in the sky that assists farming too
“Hyperspectral cameras with near infrared and shortwave infrared capability can penetrate through soil for up to 5cm, depending on the soil type[/color]. It is, however, not as good as a radar that can penetrate deeper by sending wave energy,” said Prof Uday K Khankhoje, department of electrical engineering, IIT Madras.
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Far from being jinn science these are routine, and real... even as far back as a decade or so I know people who worked in those fields. Infrared technology (with assisted MWIR (Mid-wave Infrared), Laser-illuminated-near Infrared Images, Hyperspectral Anomaly Detection etc) is used for soil typing and yes mine detection.
It is not really a secret that Mine detection, an research area for many of Indian scientist too. Just to name a few methods - advances in Metal detectors electromagnetic induction (EMI), ground penetrating radar (GPR), thermal neutron activation (TNA), quadrapole resonance (QR) and acoustic sensors are just a few other methods along with the techniques quoted by Prof Khankhoje. As one can see Hyperspectral anomaly detection could be used from a airplane or a satellite.
I can put some references here but simple google scholar search for this topic, or query to any reputable scientist in the field can provide material for those who are interested.
It so happens that I got a very exciting news from one of colleague in related field, I have posted that here