This artist's rendering shows Pathfinder's final descent through the Martian atmosphere just minutes before it comes to a complete halt on the Martian surface. The spacecraft is enclosed in a huge cocoon of airbags, which has just been cut from a bridle, backshield and parachute. The spacecraft, protected inside the airbags, will bounce as high as a five-story building before stopping. Once it is stationary, motion detectors onboard the spacecraft will sense the lack of movement and trigger a mechanism that will deflate and retract the airbags. Painting by Pat Rawlings, SAIC.
Mars 2003 Rover
This artist's rendering show
…
7/27/00
Date
7/27/00
Description
This artist's rendering shows a side view of NASA's Mars 2003 Rover as it sets off on its exploration of the red planet. The rover is scheduled for launch in June 2003 and will arrive at Mars in January 2004 with an airbag-shielded landing shell. The Mars 2003 Rover will carry five scientific instruments and a rock abrading tool. The instruments include a Panoramic Camera and a Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer, both on the large mast shown on the front of the rover. A Mossbauer Spectrometer, an Alpha-Proton X-ray Spectrometer, and a Microscopic Imager are located on a robotic arm that is tucked under the front of the rover, as is a Rock Abrasion Tool that will grind away the outer surfaces of rocks to determine the nature of rock interiors. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars 2003 Rover for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY is the lead institution for the science payload. #####
Mars Pathfinder
This artist's rendering show
…
8/6/96
Date
8/6/96
Description
This artist's rendering shows Pathfinder's unique descent to the surface of Mars. The spacecraft, enclosed in a cocoon of airbags, has just been severed from the tether which connected it to a huge parachute and Viking-derived heatshield used to slow the spacecraft's speed after entry in the Martian atmosphere. Once the spacecraft comes to a halt, the airbags will deflate and the spacecraft will stand itself right side up, then open its panels to expose its solar panels. As the sun rises over Mars, Pathfinder will power on, along with a miniature companion rover, called Sojourner, which sits on the inside of one of its panels. Sojourner will use one of two exit ramps to roll off the lander and drive onto the surface of Mars. There it will begin a week of science experiments on the surface of Mars, while the lander takes panoramic photographs of the Martian terrain. The Mars Pathfinder mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C., and is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, atop a Delta II expendable launch vehicle on Dec. 2, 1996. #####
Cassini at Saturn
title
Cassini at Saturn
date
03.19.2004
description
*Third Grade* The above drawing is a post-assessment of the artist's knowledge of the Cassini mission after NASA's successful Reading Writing and Rings curriculum was added to the artist's reading classes. The curriculum uses the Cassini-Huygens Mission as subject matter to increase reading comprehension levels.
Galileo at Jupiter
This artist's rendering show
…
7/11/95
Date
7/11/95
Description
This artist's rendering shows the Galileo orbiter arriving at Jupiter on Dec. 7, 1995. A few hours before arrival, the orbiter will have flown within about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) of Jupiter's moon lo, shown as the crescent to the left of the spacecraft. The sun is visible between Io and the spacecraft, near the spacecraft's long magnetometer. Jupiter is to the right. A faint white streak above the planet's clouds shows the atmospheric probe beginning to decelerate before it deploys a parachute for its scientific mission to collect data as it descends into the atmosphere and relay that data to the orbiter. About an hour after the probe's mission is over, the orbiter will brake with its rocket engine to go into orbit around Jupiter for a two-year, 11-orbit study of Jupiter, its satellites and its magnetosphere. The Galileo mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Galileo probe is managed by NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field. Calif.
Sand-Laden Jets
title
Sand-Laden Jets
Description
Sand-laden jets shoot into the polar sky in this view by noted space artist Ron Miller. It shows the Martian south polar ice cap as southern spring begins. Credit: Arizona State University/Ron Miller
Sowing the Seeds of Planets?
Title
Sowing the Seeds of Planets?
Description
This artist's concept shows microscopic crystals in the dusty disk surrounding a brown dwarf, or "failed star." The crystals, made up of a green mineral found on Earth called olivine, are thought to help seed the formation of planets. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope detected the tiny crystals circling around five brown dwarfs, the cooler and smaller cousins of stars. Though crystallized minerals have been seen in space before -- in comets and around other stars -- the discovery represents the first time the little gem-like particles have been spotted around confirmed brown dwarfs. Astronomers believe planets form out of disks of dust that circle young brown dwarfs and stars. Over time, the various minerals making up the disks crystallize and begin to clump together. Eventually, the clumps collide and stick, building up mass like snowmen until planets are born.
Artist's Impression of Massi
…
Title
Artist's Impression of Massive Star Cluster
Description
This is an illustration of one of the most massive star clusters within our Milky Way Galaxy. The cluster is ablaze with the glow of 14 rare red supergiant stars. Interspersed among the supergiants are young blue stars. The cluster contains an estimated 20,000 stars and is 20 times more massive than typical clusters in our galaxy. The cluster is located in the direction of the Galaxy's center. Its visible light is obscured by interstellar dust, but infrared telescopes easily detect the cluster's glow. If it could be seen in visible light, it would resemble this illustration. In this perspective we are looking back across the Milky Way, in the direction of the Sun, 18,900 light-years away. The cluster is only 8 to 10 million years old, young enough for astronomers to see most of the red supergiants before they explode as supernovae. One supernova remnant is located in the cluster at far left. In the background at the 12:00 position is a distant region of stars called W 42.
Description
Titan by day
Full Description
Titan by day In this artist's rendering of Titan, methane vapors are seen around an ancient crater and nearby rocky cliffs. In the distance, mountains of rock and ice rise from a sea of ethanol. Barely visible through the thick orange atmosphere are Saturn and another of her moons, Rhea. Image by Stan Richard (Des Moines, Iowa). For higher resolution, click here.
Evidence for Strange Stellar
…
Title
Evidence for Strange Stellar Family
Description
This artist concept depicts a quadruple-star system called HD 98800. The system is approximately 10 million years old, and is located 150 light-years away in the constellation TW Hydrae. HD 98800 contains four stars, which are paired off into doublets, or binaries. The stars in the binary pairs orbit around each other, and the two pairs also circle each other like choreographed ballerinas. One of the stellar pairs, called HD 98800B, has a disk of dust around it, while the other pair does not. Although the four stars are gravitationally bound, the distance separating the two binary pairs is about 50 astronomical units (AU) -- slightly more than the average distance between our sun and Pluto. Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists finally have a detailed view of HD 98800B's potential planet-forming disk. Astronomers used the telescope's infrared spectrometer to detect the presence of two belts in the disk made of large dust grains. One belt sits approximately 5.9 AU away from the central binary, or about the distance from the sun to Jupiter, and is likely made up of asteroids and comets. The other belt sits at 1.5 to 2 AU, comparable to the area where Mars and the asteroid belt sit, and consists of fine dust grains.
Out of the Dust, A Planet is
…
Title
Out of the Dust, A Planet is Born
Description
In this artist's conception, a possible newfound planet spins through a clearing in a nearby star's dusty, planet-forming disc. This clearing was detected around the star CoKu Tau 4 by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Astronomers believe that an orbiting massive body, like a planet, may have swept away the star's disc material, leaving a central hole. The possible planet is theorized to be at least as massive as Jupiter, and may have a similar appearance to what the giant planets in our own solar system looked like billions of years ago. A graceful ring, much like Saturn's, spins high above the planet's cloudy atmosphere. The ring is formed from countless small orbiting particles of dust and ice, leftovers from the initial gravitational collapse that formed the possible giant planet. If we were to visit a planet like this, we would have a very different view of the universe. The sky, instead of being the familiar dark expanse lit by distant stars, would be dominated by the thick disc of dust that fills this young planetary system. The view looking toward CoKu Tau 4 would be relatively clear, as the dust in the interior of the disc has fallen into the accreting star. A bright band would seem to surround the central star, caused by light scattered back by the dust in the disc. Looking away from CoKu Tau 4, the dusty disc would appear dark, blotting out light from all the stars in the sky except those which lie well above the plane of the disc.
Artist's concept of Lunar Mo
…
Title
Artist's concept of Lunar Module descent, engine firing for landing
Description
A TRW Artist's concept of a Lunar Module descent, engine firing for landing.
Date Taken
1969-05-14
Huygens Probe and Titan
title
Huygens Probe and Titan
description
This artist's conception shows Titan's surface with Saturn appearing dimly in the background through Titan's thick atmosphere of mostly nitrogen and methane. The Cassini spacecraft flies overhead with its high-gain antenna pointed at the Huygens probe as it nears the surface. Image Credit:* Craig Attebery
Lunar Prospector
title
Lunar Prospector
description
This artist's concept of the Lunar Prospector shows the spacecraft in lunar orbit. Instrument masts are fully deployed. Lunar Prospector spent about a year and a half studying and mapping the Moon. After its mission was complete, was deliberately crashed into the Moon's south pole to look for evidence of water ice. None was observed.. *Image Credit* NASA Ames Research Center
Galileo Probe Descent
title
Galileo Probe Descent
date
12.07.1995
description
An artist's impression of the Galileo probe descending into Jupiter's atmosphere. The probe wasthe first to sample the atmosphere of a gas planet. It measured temperature, pressure, chemical composition, cloud characteristics, sunlight and energy internal to the planet, and lightning. During its 58-minute life, the probe penetrated 200 km (124 miles) into Jupiter's violent atmosphere before it was crushed, melted, and/or vaporized by the pressure and temperature of the atmosphere. *Image Credit*: NASA
Galileo's End
title
Galileo's End
description
An artist's impression of the Galileo orbiter beginning to burn up in Jupiter's atmosphere. Galileo's 14-year mission to explore the Jovian system ended on Sept. 21, 2003 when the spacecraft was deliberately sent into Jupiter's atmosphere. *Image Credit*: NASA
Ulysses at Jupiter
title
Ulysses at Jupiter
date
02.04.2004
description
An artist's impression of the Ulysses spacecraft at Jupiter. Ulysses used Jupiter's powerful gravity to hurl it out of the Plane of the Ecliptic (where most planets and satellites orbit) so it could study the polar regions of the Sun. *Image Credit*: NASA/European Space Agency
Phoenix
title
Phoenix
description
An artist's impression of the Phoenix lander on the surface of Mars. Phoenix is set to launch in 2007. *Image Credit*: NASA
Approaching Wild 2
title
Approaching Wild 2
description
An artist's vision of NASA's Stardust spacecraft closing in on Comet Wild 2. The spacecraft will collect samples from the comet and return them to Earth. For more images related to this mission, visit the Stardust Photo Gallery. *Image Credit*: NASA
Huygens descending on Titan
Description
Huygens descending on Titan
Full Description
The artist's concept shows the European Space Agency's Huygens probe descent sequence. The animation shows the Huygens probe's entry, descent and landing, with the descent imager/spectral radiometer lamp turned on at the end. The probe was delivered to Saturn's moon Titan by the Cassini spacecraft, which is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. NASA supplied two instruments on the probe, the descent imager/spectral radiometer and the gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. *Credit:* NASA/JPL/ESA
Date
August 28, 2007
Description
Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description
This piece entitled "Cassini Tracking Saturn I" was painted by Florida artist Cecil Herring, who absolutely loves everything about space exploration. As part of her "Spacescapes" series, she uses acrylics on plexiglass surfaces, backing the paint with heavy watercolor paper, creating laminations that trap the colors in a permanent and brilliant way. She has had 30 one-woman shows over her career that has seen the use of a variety of media, including digital image creation using current computer and software technology. (artwork only available electronically).
Artist's Impression of B1957
…
Name
Artist's Impression of B1957+20 Pulsar System (Close-Up)
Artist?s Concept of Dual Mod
…
Name of Image
Artist?s Concept of Dual Mode Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV)
Date of Image
1969-12-18
Full Description
Artist?s concept of a dual mode Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) on the Lunar surface. This represents the Bendix version in an unmanned configuration. The LRV was developed under the direction of MSFC to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Artist?s Concept of Mobility
…
Name of Image
Artist?s Concept of Mobility Test Vehicle
Date of Image
1969-11-03
Full Description
Artist?s concept of a Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) Mobility Test Article (MTA) on the Lunar surface. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Artist?s Concept of Dual Mod
…
Name of Image
Artist?s Concept of Dual Mode Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV)
Date of Image
1969-12-18
Full Description
Artist?s concept of a dual mode Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) on the Lunar surface. This represents the Grumman version in an unmanned configuration. The LRV was developed under the direction of MSFC to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Artist?s Concept of Dual Mod
…
Name of Image
Artist?s Concept of Dual Mode Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV)
Date of Image
1969-12-18
Full Description
Artist?s concept of a dual mode Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) on the Lunar surface. This represents the Grumman version in an unmanned configuration. The LRV was developed under the direction of MSFC to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Artist?s Concept of Lunar Ro
…
Name of Image
Artist?s Concept of Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV)
Date of Image
1969-12-18
Full Description
Artist?s manned and unmanned concepts of a Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) Mobility Test Article (MTA) on the Lunar surface. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Oldest Known Planet Identifi
…
Title
Oldest Known Planet Identified
General Information
What is a NASA Science Update? Major Hubble discoveries on NASA television ... Astronomers explain their Hubble discoveries at a press conference, called a NASA Science Update (NSU), broadcast on NASA television. The NSU includes a question and answer session with members of the media. Back to top [ #top ]
Galileo Spacecraft
title
Galileo Spacecraft
description
As it arrived at Jupiter on December 7, 1995, NASA's Galileo orbiter received a stream of data transmissions -- represented by the blue dots in this artist's depiction -- from the atmospheric probe that was descending through Jupiter's clouds. The orbiter had released the probe five months earlier. The wok-shaped probe sent information to the orbiter for 57.6 minutes as it dropped about 200 kilometers (125 miles) through the atmosphere, before succumbing to atmospheric pressure about 23 times greater than the average at Earth's sea level. The probe returned data about sunlight, heat flux, pressure, temperature, winds, lightning and atmospheric composition. About one hour after the end of the probe's transmissions, the orbiter fired its main engine to brake into orbit around Jupiter. Note: This illustration correctly shows the partially deployed main antenna. *Image Credit*: NASA
Project Red Socks
title
Project Red Socks
date
10.01.1957
description
Project RED SOCKS was to be "the world's first useful moon rocket," proposed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology in October 1957. These artist's renditions show the configuration of motors and a diagram of the moon orbit. RED SOCKS was to respond to the Sputnik launch challenge with a significant technological advance over the Soviet Union instead of merely matching them with another earth-orbiting satellite. The objectives of the project were to "1) get photos, 2) refine space guidance techniques, and 3) impress the world" with a series of nine rocket flights to the moon. The second of the nine flights was to take pictures of the back of the moon. The necessary technology had already been developed for earlier projects, such as the Re-entry Test Vehicle and the Microlock radio ground tracking system. Project RED SOCKS received no support in Washington. In December 1957, JPL and the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) were instead asked to orbit an Earth satellite. Explorer 1 was launched 81 days later, on January 29, 1958. A modified RED SOCKS plan was carried out in the Pioneer 4 project in March 1959. *Image Credit*: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
New Horizons
title
New Horizons
description
Artist's impression of the New Horizons spacecraft encountering a Kuiper Belt object. The Sun, more than 4.1 billion miles (6.7 billion kilometers) away, shines as a bright star embedded in the glow of the zodiacal dust cloud. Jupiter and Neptune are visible as orange and blue "stars" to the right of the Sun. Although you would not actually see the myriad other objects that make up the Kuiper Belt, they are shown here to give the impression of an extensive disk of icy worlds beyond Neptune. *Image Credit*: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute (JHUAPL/SwRI)
Mars base artist conception
Name of Image
Mars base artist conception
Date of Image
1992-02-20
Full Description
Artist John J. Olson's conception for the future of space exploration: A base on Mars.
Lunar Crane artist conceptio
…
Name of Image
Lunar Crane artist conception
Date of Image
1992-02-20
Full Description
Artist Pat Rawlings' conception of the different types of machinery that will likely be needed in the future: Lunar Crane
Aerial oblique artist concep
…
Title
Aerial oblique artist concept of the Merritt Island Launch Complex
Description
Aerial oblique artist concept of the Merritt Island Launch Complex, Merritt Island, Florida.
Date Taken
1963-12-23
Artist concept of Drogue Chu
…
Title
Artist concept of Drogue Chute Deployment
Description
Artist concept illustrating the drogue chute deployment as the Apollo Command Module returns to earth from a mission to the moon. The droge chutes serve to orient the Command Module properly for main chute deployment.
Date Taken
1966-06-01
Artist concept of Spacecraft
…
Title
Artist concept of Spacecraft Recovery
Description
Artist concept illustrating the recovery of the Command Module following splashdown at the conclusion of an Apollo Lunar mission.
Date Taken
1966-12-01
Artist's concept of Apollo 8
…
Title
Artist's concept of Apollo 8 start thrust engine and head for home
Description
North American Rockwell artist's concept illustrating a phase of the scheduled Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission. Here, after 20 hours of lunar orbit, Apollo 8 astronauts start the 20,500 lb. thrust engine and head for home.
Date Taken
1968-12-02
Artist's concept depicting i
…
Title
Artist's concept depicting implanting flag on surface of moon by Apollo 11
Description
Artist's concept depicting the implanting of the United States flag on the surface of the moon by one of the astronauts of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.
Date Taken
1969-07-12
Composite artist's concept o
…
Title
Composite artist's concept of lunar surface activities of Apollo 11 mission
Description
Composite of four artist's concepts illustrating the lunar surface activities of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Depicted here are experiment placements, deployment of television camera, alignment of passive seismometer, and bulk sample collection.
Date Taken
1969-07-12
Artist's concept illustratin
…
Title
Artist's concept illustrating cutaway view of Skylab 1 Orbital Workshop (OWS)
Description
An artist's concept illustrating a cutaway view of the Skylab 1 Orbital Workshop (OWS). The OWS is one of the five major components of the Skylab 1 space station cluster which was launched by a Saturn V on May 14, 1973 into Earth orbit.
Date Taken
1973-05-23
Claude Ruggieri
Name of Image
Claude Ruggieri
Date of Image
2004-04-15
Full Description
During the 19th century, rocket enthusiasts and inventors began to appear in almost every country. Some people thought these early rocket pioneers were geniuses, and others thought they were crazy. Claude Ruggieri, an Italian living in Paris, apparently rocketed small animals into space as early as 1806. The payloads were recovered by parachute. As depicted here by artist Larry Toschik, French authorities were not always impressed with rocket research. They halted Ruggieri's plans to launch a small boy using a rocket cluster. (Reproduced from a drawing by Larry Toschik and presented here courtesy of the artist and Motorola Inc.)
General Description
Exploration Imagery
General Description
Exploration Imagery
Apollo 11 Artist Concept- Lu
…
Name of Image
Apollo 11 Artist Concept- Lunar Surface Activities
Date of Image
1969-07-06
Full Description
The Apollo 11 mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida via the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Saturn V launch vehicle on July 16, 1969 and safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. Aboard the space craft were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, Michael Collins, Command Module (CM) pilot, and Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module (LM) pilot. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished. These sketches illustrate some of the activities of Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin while on the Moon?s surface. Both men worked in setting up scientific equipment and collecting samples. Armstrong set up the television cameras early so their activities could be watched from Earth.
Hubble Finds Mysterious Disk
…
Title
Hubble Finds Mysterious Disk of Blue Stars Around Black Hole
OMV With Satellite
Name of Image
OMV With Satellite
Date of Image
1986-01-01
Full Description
This 1986 artist's concept shows the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) towing a satellite. As envisioned by Marshall Space Flight Center plarners, the OMV would be a remotely-controlled free-flying space tug which would place, rendezvous, dock, and retrieve orbital payloads.
Artist's concept illustratin
…
Title
Artist's concept illustrating cutaway view of Skylab Rescue Command Module
Description
An artist's concept illustrating a cutaway view of the general arrangement of the Skylab Rescue Command Module (CM). The standard Skylab CM accommodates a crew of three with storage lockers on the aft bulkhead for resupply of experiment film and other equipment as well as the return of exposed film, data tapes and experiment samples. To convert the standard CM to a rescue vehicle, the storage lockers are removed and replaced with two crew couches in order to seat five crewmen. The rescue CM would then be launched with a crew of two.
Date Taken
1973-08-06
Artist's concept of Apollo 1
…
Title
Artist's concept of Apollo 15 landing site showing crewmen on LRV
Description
An artist's concept of the Apollo 15 Hadley-Apennine landing area showing the two moon-exploring crewmen on a traverse in their Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The two figures represent Astronauts David R. Scott, commander, and James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot. The Apollo 15 Lunar Module is in left background.
Date Taken
1971-06-26
Artist concept of Magellan s
…
Title
Artist concept of Magellan spacecraft in elliptical orbit around Venus
Description
Magellan spacecraft is shown in elliptical orbit around Venus, collecting data (radar mapping), and then transmitting data back to Earth in this artist concept. When the spacecraft orbit is close to Venus the synthetic aperature radar (SAR) will image a swath between 9 and 15 nautical miles (10 and 17 statute miles), beginning at or near the north pole and continuing to the southern hemisphere. Subsequent swaths will slightly overlap and, during its primary mission, the spacecraft will map most of the planet. When the spacecraft moves into the part of its elliptical orbit farthest from Venus, the spacecraft high-gain antenna will be turned toward Earth and will send the data collected during the imaging to Earth. Magellan, named after the 16th century Portuguese explorer, will orbit Venus about once every three hours, acquiring radar data for 37 minutes of each orbit. Magellan is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Martin Marietta is developing the spacecraft and Hughes Air
Date Taken
1988-11-02
Artist concept of Magellan s
…
Title
Artist concept of Magellan spacecraft above Venusian surface
Description
Artist concept shows Magellan spacecraft in cruise configuration oriented above Venusian surface, during data collection and radar mapping sequence. Solar panels are deployed and low-gain and high gain antennas, altimeter antenna, thermal control louvers, forward equipment module, equipment bus with thermal control louvers, and control rocket engine module are visible. The continued quest for detailed topographic measurements of Venus will again be undertaken in April 1989 by Magellan, named after the 16th century Portuguese explorer. Magellan will orbit Venus about once every three hours, acquiring radar data for 37 minutes of each orbit when it is closest to the surface. Using an advanced instrument called a synthetic aperature radar (SAR), it will map more than 90 per cent of the surface with resolution ten times better than the best prior spacecraft. Magellan is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Martin Marietta is developing the spacecraft and Hughes Aircraft Company,
