October 7, 2019 - A Sacrifice for Science

A Sacrifice for Science Launched in May 1989, the Magellan spacecraft arrived at Venus in August 1990. During its four years in orbit, Magellan used radar to see through the clouds that perpetually veil Venus. Ninety-eight percent of the planet was thus mapped, providing global, three-dimensional views of unprecedented clarity. In this computer-generated image, lava flows spread across the fractured plains in the foreground for hundreds of kilometers, from the base of Maat Mons, a nine-kilometer-high (5 mi) equatorial volcano. At mission’s end and low on power, Magellan gathered some final scientific data by intentionally dipping into Venus’s atmosphere. Twenty-five years ago this week, contact was lost with the daring spacecraft when Magellan, as planned, burned up in the atmosphere.

Image credit: NASA / JPL

Weekly Calendar

October 7 - 13, 2019

Holidays - Sky Events - Space History

Monday 7

1885: Niels Bohr born
1959: Luna 3 returns first images of the lunar far side
2002: STS-112 Atlantis launched
2010: Soyuz TMA-01M launched carrying ISS Expedition 25/26 crew