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The Magellan spacecraft, which arrived at Venus in 1990, made the first global map of the surface of Venus as well as global maps of the planet's gravity field. The mission produced surprising findings about Venus, including a relatively young planetary surface possibly formed by lava flows from planet-wide volcanic eruptions.
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Takes a Last Look at Mysterious...
- 30 Years Ago: Magellan off to Map Venus - NASA
During its final cycle, Magellan studied Venus’ upper...
- Magellan - NASA Science
Magellan was designed to use a Synthetic Aperture Radar...
- 30 Years Ago: Magellan Off to Map Venus - NASA Solar System ...
During this time, NASA was planning its own mission called...
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
May 6, 2019 · During its final cycle, Magellan studied Venus’ upper atmosphere. On Oct. 13, 1994, after a series of controlled engine firings lowered its orbit, Magellan entered Venus’ atmosphere and burned up, having completed its highly successful mission during more than 15,000 orbits of the cloud-shrouded planet.
From the craters visible in Magellan's Venus maps, scientists believe they are looking at a relatively young planetary surface, perhaps about 500 million years old. Since Venus formed at the same time as Earth 4.6 billion years ago, some event or events 500 million years ago must have resurfaced the planet.
Magellan was designed to use a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to map 70% of the Venusian surface down to a resolution of 390 to 985 feet (120 to 300 meters). The basic bus was assembled using spare parts left over from various prior missions including Voyager, Galileo, Ulysses, and Mariner 9.
- United States of America (USA)
- Magellan
- Venus Orbit
- 7,595 pounds (3,445 kilograms)
May 6, 2019 · During this time, NASA was planning its own mission called the Venus Radar Mapper, later renamed Magellan, with the capability to map the planet down to a resolution of 120 meters using SAR. Magellan’s prelaunch goal was to map up to 70% of the planet during one 243-day imaging period, equivalent to one Venusian “day.”
Magellan's data will permit the first global geological understanding of Venus, the planet most like Earth in our solar system. A global view of Venus made from a mosaic of radar imagery from the Magellan spacecraft. This computer-generated globe shows the planet from above the equator at 180 degrees longitude.
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Jun 2, 2021 · It would replace Magellan’s old maps with glorious 3-D topographic charts packed with detail, from individual volcanoes and their lava-licked landscapes to fault systems streaking through the ...
