Mapping Venus |
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The sequence of events that comprise a Magellan mapping orbit are shown in this artist's conception. For the first 37.2 minutes of each orbit, the Synthetic Aperture Radar measures and records a 20 km (12 mi) -wide swath of the planet's surface. When Magellan reaches the high point of its orbit, the spacecraft turns its antenna toward Earth and transmits the data. After 113.8 minutes of transmitting, the antenna is repositioned for another orbit about Venus. The spacecraft used this orbit to complete three mapping cycles of radar-imaging data and two cycles of gravity and radio science data. In May, 1993, the spacecraft entered its final, aerobraking phase, in which its orbit was gradually lowered and made more circular, allowing Magellan to collect more gravity data and to conduct radar and radio science experiments. The Magellan mission ended when the spacecraft was allowed to plunge into Venus's atmosphere in October, 1994.
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