Launched from the space shuttle Atlantis in 1989, Magellan journeyed to Venus, entering an orbit that took it over the planet's poles.
As Venus rotated, Magellan's radar penetrated the thick cloud that hides the surface. Magellan mapped Venus's surface in long, thin strips that covered 98% of the planet's surface.
NASA mission scientists discovered that Venus is covered with volcanoes and strange landforms unlike any on the Earth. The probe saw few impact craters, suggesting Venus has a relatively young surface.
Photo: View of Venus composed almost entirely of Magellan radar images (NASA/JPL/USGS)
The orbiting probe maps the planet's surface with radar and finds many strange sights.
After arriving at the planet in 1989, the Magellan probe orbited Venus many times and used its radar to map the cloud-covered surface. The data revealed a surface with numerous volcanoes and geological features unlike any seen on the Earth.
Sir Patrick Moore and his guests Professor Fred Taylor from Oxford University and Dr Dave Rothery from The Open University discuss what we know about Venus from the probes that have visited the planet.
The American Magellan probe arrived at Venus in 1990 and mapped the cloud covered planet in unprecedented detail. The spacecraft's powerful radar penetrated the thick atmosphere and accurately recorded Venus's surface features. Scientists were surprised that the planet's geology turned out to be so unlike the Earth's.
Sir Patrick Moore and Dr Peter Cattermole discuss the probe's first images of Venus.
Sir Patrick Moore and his guest Dr Peter Cattermole have a look at the first radar images of Venus returned from the Magellan probe in 1990. Dr Cattermole describes and interprets the geology of Venus on the basis of what he sees in the images.
Sir Patrick Moore and his guest Dr Peter Cattermole discuss Magellan's radar and other instruments as the probe starts its mapping mission at Venus in 1990.
The Magellan spacecraft, also referred to as the Venus Radar Mapper, was a 1,035-kilogram (2,280 lb) robotic space probe launched by NASA on May 4, 1989, to map the surface of Venus using Synthetic Aperture Radar and measure the planetary gravity. It was the first interplanetary mission to be launched from the Space Shuttle, the first to use an inertial upper stage booster and was the first spacecraft to test aerobraking as a method for circularizing an orbit. Magellan was the fourth successful, NASA funded mission to Venus and ended an eleven-year U.S. interplanetary exploration hiatus.
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