MAGELLAN- Magellan was the first of its kind mission when it was launched in 1989. Venus had always presented a problem for exploration due to its high pressure and ferociously corrosive atmosphere. Magellan was simply a powerful Synthetic Aperture Radar mounted on a space probe bus.Â
From 1990 to 1994, Magellan mapped in spectacular fashion, nearly the entire surface of Venus providing the most incredibly accurate maps to date. In a fiery end, Magellan was commanded to burn up in the Venusian atmosphere to first test the then theoretical maneuver of aerobraking. REQUIRES EARTH_1975