Magellan Mission Summary

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Read Full Article Cited by JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 97, NO. E8, PAGES 13,067–13,090, 1992 Magellan Mission Summary R. S. Saunders Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California A. J. Spear Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California P. C. Allin Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California R. S. Austin Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California A. L. Berman Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California R. C. Chandlee Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California J. Clark Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California A. V. Decharon Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California E. M. De Jong Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California D. G. Griffith Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California J. M. Gunn Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California S. Hensley Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California W. T. K. Johnson Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California C. E. Kirby Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California K. S. Leung Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California D. T. Lyons Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California G. A. Michaels Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California J. Miller Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California R. B. Morris Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California A. D. Morrison Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California R. G. Piereson Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California J. F. Scott Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California S. J. Shaffer Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California J. P. Slonski Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California E. R. Stofan Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California T. W. Thompson Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California S. D. Wall Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California Abstract Magellan started mapping the planet Venus on September 15, 1990, and after one cycle (one Venus day or 243 Earth days) had mapped 84% of the planet's surface. This returned an image data volume greater than all past planetary missions combined. Spacecraft problems were experienced in flight. Changes in operational procedures and reprogramming of onboard computers minimized the amount of mapping data lost. Magellan data processing is the largest planetary image-processing challenge to date. Compilation of global maps of tectonic and volcanic features, as well as impact craters and related phenomena and surface processes related to wind, weathering, and mass wasting, has begun. The Magellan project is now in an extended mission phase, with plans for additional cycles out to 1995. The Magellan project will fill in mapping gaps, obtain a global gravity data set between mid-September 1992 and May 1993, acquire images at different view angles, and look for changes on the surface from one cycle to another caused by surface activity such as volcanism, faulting, or wind activity. Received 27 November 1991; accepted 17 June 1992. Read Full Article Cited by Citation: Saunders, R. S., et al. (1992), Magellan Mission Summary, J. Geophys. Res., 97(E8), 13,067–13,090. Copyright 1992 by the American Geophysical Union.

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