1991/04/12 by G. H. Pettengill, P. G. Ford, W.T.K. Johnson +2 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · Engineering · #Planetary Science and Exploration #Astro and Planetary Science #Space Exploration and Technology
paper · doi:10.1126/science.252.5003.260
openalex publication_date 1991/04/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
The Magellan Venus orbiter carries only one scientific instrument: a 12.6-centimeter wavelength radar system shared among three data-taking modes. The synthetic-aperture mode images radar echoes from the Venus surface at a resolution of between 120 and 300 meters, depending on spacecraft altitude. In the altimetric mode, relative height measurement accuracies may approach 5 meters, depending on the terrain's roughness, although orbital uncertainties place a floor of about 50 meters on the absolute uncertainty. In areas of extremely rough topography, accuracy is limited by the inherent line-of-sight radar resolution of about 88 meters. The maximum elevation observed to date, corresponding to a planetary radius of 6062 kilometers, lies within Maxwell Mons. When used as a thermal emission radiometer, the system can determine surface emissivities to an absolute accuracy of about 0.02. Mosaicked and archival digital data products will be released in compact disk (CDROM) format.