Magellan

The Magellan spacecraft started radar photography of surface of Venus on Sep 15, 1990, using wavelengths in the cm range. It used synthetic aperture radar to reveal details as small as 120 meters across, increasing previous resolution by a factor of 10. The five year Magellan project involved the mapping of the whole surface of Venus, much like Mariner 9 mapped Mars in 1971 and 1972.


NASA illustration.
Magellan spacecraft at Cape Kennedy
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Magellan Spacecraft

The Magellan spacecraft started radar photography of surface of Venus on Sep 15, 1990, using wavelengths in the cm range. It used synthetic aperture radar to reveal details as small as 120 meters across, increasing previous resolution by a factor of 10. The five year Magellan project involved the mapping of the whole surface of Venus, much like Mariner 9 mapped Mars in 1971 and 1972.


NASA image.
Index

Solar System Illustration

Solar System Concepts

Solar System Exploration
 
HyperPhysics********** Astrophysics R Nave
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