Today in the history of astronomy, Magellan begins its four-year mission to map Venus.
To save money, Magellan was uniquely constuctued using spare parts from prior missions, including Voyager, Galileo, Ulysses, and Mariner 9. Credit: NASA
- The Magellan orbiter, launched from the Space Shuttle Atlantis in May 1989, arrived at Venus on August 10, 1990.
- Magellan’s primary objective was to map the Venusian surface using radar, overcoming the limitations imposed by the planet’s dense cloud cover.
- The mission employed a cost-effective design strategy, incorporating repurposed components from previous spacecraft.
- Magellan’s mission was highly successful, generating over 1,200 gigabits of data encompassing various parameters, including altimetry, radiometry, and topography.
On Aug. 10, 1990, the Magellan orbiter arrived at Venus and was inserted into orbit. Its goal was to map the surface of the planet, using radar to peer beneath the cloudy atmosphere. Launched aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in May 1989, Magellan was the first deep space probe launched from a shuttle. Budget constraints meant it also had a uniquely recycled construction, utilizing spare parts from many previous spacecraft. The mission was a resounding success, thoroughly mapping Venus in multiple ways and returning a record-breaking 1,200 gigabits of data on altimetry, radiometry, radar emission and reflection, slope, topography, and more.
