Exhibitions

Magellan Venus Probe Video

August 28, 1990 – Closed

National Air and Space Museum
6th St. & Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC

Entrance to Exploring the Planets, Gallery 207, 2nd Floor, West Wing

See on Map Floor Plan

This 6-minute video shows footage from the unmanned Magellan Venus Probe. Launched from the Space Shuttle Atlantis on May 4, 1989, it reached Venus in August 1990. Magellan remains in a fixed orbit above Venus while the planet rotates beneath it. Magellan maps for 37 minutes during each orbit and sends the data back to Earth for analysis.