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age, dimensions of ice-fields, their contours extent 
of hummocked ice-fields, distribution of channels and 
ice-free areas. It is also possible to reveal the laws 
governing the ice-cover formation and its dynamics. 
All this makes it possible to speed-up the process 
of mapping ice conditions and rapidly deliver the 
pertaining information. 
The possibility to obtain radio-imagery over large 
areas allows photogeological interpretation to be done, 
structural schemes, maps of breaks compiled, and even 
types of bedrock be determined in certain cases. 
Thanks to certain peculiarities of its plotting, 
the imagery obtained through side-looking radar survey 
underline the general terrain picture and give it a 
plastic effect. This contributes to successful inter- 
pretation of geomorphology and secures correct analysis 
of relief forms. In some cases, in geologically closed 
regions, it is possible to discover buried structures 
by making use of existing relations between modern and 
ancient conformation. 
Radar survey, which is based on utilization of such 
characteristics of objects as their geometrical shape 
and surface structure, humidity, electric and magnetic 
properties, and composition of rOCks,— opens new hori- 
zons for mapping various kinds of natural resources and 
prospecting for minerals. | 
New perspectives for investigations of natural 
environment are opened in connection with the possibili- 
ty to obtain photographic and television imagery of the 
geographical shell (envelope) of the Earth from (certain) 
artificial cosmic bodies which are now becoming utilized 
in many branchs of science. They have found wide applica- 
tion in meteorology for weather-prognosing; at the same 
time, television imagery periodically broadcasted to 
receiving stations, allows to determine the dynamics of 
jeve loping of cloud-cover, direction of wind, stream