Magellan

Bullet Point

• Bullet Point*

• Bullet Point*

Magellan was launched by the space shuttle Atlantis (STS-30R) on May 4, 1989 and arrived in Venus on August 10, 1990. Magellan's solid rocket engine sent it into a near-polar elliptical orbit around the planet. During the first eight-month mapping cycle around Venus, Magellan collected 84% of the radar images of Venus' surface, and its resolution was 10 times that of the Soviet Venus 15 and Venus 16 missions. It also carried out height measurement and radiation measurement, and obtained information about the surface topography and electrical characteristics.

• Bullet Point*

During the extended mission, two surveying and mapping cycles from May 15, 1991 to September 14, 1992 made the surveying and mapping coverage reach 98% of Venus, with a resolution of about 100 meters. The precise radio tracking device of the detector measures the gravitational field of Venus to show the mass distribution inside Venus and the surface features formed. A braking maneuver rounds the track to improve the efficiency of gravity measurement. Magellan's data contribute to the first global geological study of Venus. The first conclusion is that Venus is the most Earth-like planet in the solar system.

by KV-423