Magellan

ODE: Venus

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The Magellan spacecraft, named after the sixteenth-century Portuguese explorer whose expedition first circumnavigated the Earth, was launched May 4, 1989, and arrived at Venus on August 10, 1990. During the first 8-month mapping cycle around Venus, Magellan collected radar images of 84 percent of the planet's surface, with resolution 10 times better than that of the earlier Soviet Venera 15 and 16 missions. Altimetry and radiometry data also measured the surface topography and electrical characteristics. During the extended mission, two further mapping cycles from May 15, 1991 to September 14, 1992 brought mapping coverage to 98% of the planet, with a resolution of approximately 100m. Precision radio tracking of the spacecraft measured Venus' gravitational field to show the planet's internal mass distribution and the forces that have created the surface features. Magellan's data permitted the first global geological understanding of Venus, the planet most like Earth in our solar system.

More information about the Magellan mission can be found in:

  • R. S. Saunders, A. J. Spear, P. C. Allin, R. S. Austin, A. L. Berman, R. C. Chandlee, J. Clark, A. V. Decharon, E. M. De Jong, D. G. Griffith, J. M. Gunn, S. Hensley, W. T. K. Johnson, C. E. Kirby, K. S. Leung, D. T. Lyons, G. A. Michaels, J. Miller, R. B. Morris, A. D. Morrison, R. G. Piereson, J. F. Scott, S. J. Shaffer, J. P. Slonski, E. R. Stofan, T. W. Thompson, and S. D. Wall, Magellan Mission Summary, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 97, NO. E8, PP. 13,067-13,090, 1992, doi:10.1029/92JE01397.

  • R.L. Kirk, L.A.Soderblom, E.M.Lee, Enhanced Visualization for Interpretation of Magellan Radar Data: Supplement to the Magellan Special Issue, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 97, NO. E10, PP. 16,371-16,380, 1992, doi:10.1029/92JE01785.

  • F.W.Leberl, J.K.Thomas, K.E.Maurice, Initial Results from the Magellan Stereo Experiment, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 97, NO. E8, PP. 13,675-13,689, 1992, doi:10.1029/92JE00885.

  • G.H .Pettengill, P.G. Ford, W.T.K. Johnson, R.K. Raney, L.A. Soderblom, Magellan: Radar Performance and Data Products, Science, New Series, Vol. 252, No. 5003 (April 12, 1991), pp. 260-265, doi:10.1126/science.252.5003.260.

  • W.T.K. Johnson, Magellan Imaging Radar Mission to Venus, Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 79, No. 6, June 1991, doi:10.1109/5.90157.

  • P.G.Ford, G.H. Pettengill, Venus Topography and Kilometer-Scale Slopes, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 97, NO. E8, PP. 13,103-13,114, 1992, doi:10.1029/92JE01085.