Computer Simulated Global View of Venus
Magellan, named after the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), was the first deep space probe launched by a space shuttle. It was designed to use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to map the Venusian surface down to the resolution of 390 to 985 feet (120 to 300 meters). Magellan arrived in Venus orbit on Aug. 10, 1990 and began returning high-quality radar images of Venus' terrain on September 15, 1990.
Magellan found that at least 85% of the Venusian surface is covered with volcanic flows. The spacecraft’s data suggested that despite the high surface temperatures (887 degrees Fahrenheit or 475 degrees Celsius) and high atmospheric pressures (92 atmospheres), the complete lack of water on Venus makes erosion an extremely slow process. As a result, surface features can persist for hundreds of millions of years.
This global view of the surface of Venus is centered at 180 degrees east longitude. Magellan synthetic aperture radar mosaics from the first cycle of Magellan mapping are mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Data gaps are filled with Pioneer Venus Orbiter data, or a constant mid-range value. Simulated color is used to enhance small-scale structure. The simulated hues are based on color images recorded by the Soviet Venera 13 and 14 spacecraft. The image was produced by the Solar System Visualization project and the Magellan science team at the JPL Multimission Image Processing Laboratory and is a single frame from a video released at the October 29, 1991, JPL news conference.
Credit: NASA/JPL
Image Number: PIA00104
Date: October 29, 1991
Computer Simulated Global View of Venus
Magellan, named after the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), was the first deep space probe launched by a space shuttle. It was designed to use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to map the Venusian surface down to the resolution of 390 to 985 feet (120 to 300 meters). Magellan arrived in Venus orbit on Aug. 10, 1990 and began returning high-quality radar images of Venus' terrain on September 15, 1990.
Magellan found that at least 85% of the Venusian surface is covered with volcanic flows. The spacecraft’s data suggested that despite the high surface temperatures (887 degrees Fahrenheit or 475 degrees Celsius) and high atmospheric pressures (92 atmospheres), the complete lack of water on Venus makes erosion an extremely slow process. As a result, surface features can persist for hundreds of millions of years.
This global view of the surface of Venus is centered at 180 degrees east longitude. Magellan synthetic aperture radar mosaics from the first cycle of Magellan mapping are mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Data gaps are filled with Pioneer Venus Orbiter data, or a constant mid-range value. Simulated color is used to enhance small-scale structure. The simulated hues are based on color images recorded by the Soviet Venera 13 and 14 spacecraft. The image was produced by the Solar System Visualization project and the Magellan science team at the JPL Multimission Image Processing Laboratory and is a single frame from a video released at the October 29, 1991, JPL news conference.
Credit: NASA/JPL
Image Number: PIA00104
Date: October 29, 1991