| Abstract: | The Magellan Venus orbiter carries only one scientific instrument: a 12.6-centimeter-wavelength radar system shared among three data-taking modes. The syntheticaperture 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. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70016575 |
| Citation Author: | Pettengill, G. H.; Ford, P. G.; Johnson, W. T. K.; Raney, R. K.; Soderblom, L. A. |
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| Citation End Page: | 265 |
| Citation Issue: | 5003 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Science |
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| Citation Number Of Pages: | 6 |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | Magellan: Radar performance and data products; 1991; Article; Journal; Science; Pettengill, G. H.; Ford, P. G.; Johnson, W. T. K.; Raney, R. K.; Soderblom, L. A. |
| Citation Start Page: | 260 |
| Citation Volume: | 252 |
| Citation Year: | 1991 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Magellan: Radar performance and data products; 1991; Article; Journal; Science; Pettengill, G. H.; Ford, P. G.; Johnson, W. T. K.; Raney, R. K.; Soderblom, L. A. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| Date Other: | Tue, 1 Jan 1991 00:00 -0600 |
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