|
Credit & Copyright: NASA,
JPL Magellan Project
Explanation:
Ferdinand Magellan was a world explorer. Many consider him
the greatest navigator of Europe's 16th century age of sea going
exploration and credit his expedition with the first circumnavigation
of planet Earth.
NASA's Venus probe, the aptly named
Magellan spacecraft
shown above in
an artist's conception, provided a global view of the poorly known
surface of Venus - just as Magellan's expedition provided the
beginnings of a global perspective of the Earth.Ferdinand Magellan's expedition of 5 ships and 265 men left Spain in 1519 in search of a western route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. In 1522 one ship and 17 men returned. NASA launched the Magellan probe on May 4, 1989. Placed in a polar orbit, Magellan's many circumnavigations resulted in a detailed radar mapping of 98% of the Venusian surface. As pictured, the radar mapper's antenna resembles a large inverted bowl. Power for the radar was produced by the wing like solar panels. In October of 1994, the Magellan probe entered the Venusian atmosphere and ground controllers lost contact with the spacecraft.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day