Why Did The Magellan Mission Use Radar To Map The Planets Surface And Not Optical Cameras? [Solved]

Hola, iam Christine Zych, I hope you have the best day today.

Why Did The Magellan Mission Use Radar To Map The Planets Surface And Not Optical Cameras? [Solved]

Because Venus is shrouded by a dense, opaque atmosphere, conventional optical cameras cannot be used to image its surface. Instead, Magellan’s imaging radar uses bursts of microwave energy somewhat like a camera flash to illuminate the planet’s surface.

Satellites Use ‘This Weird Trick’ To See More Than They Should - Synthetic Aperture Radar Explained.

Synthetic Aperture

Earth Observation with Spaceborne Radars

How a Team of Young Caltech/JPL Researchers Transformed the Field of Earth Observation with Spaceborne

Beyond Pluto and Arrokoth: What’s Next for NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft?

Anne Verbiscer is an Assistant Project Scientist for NASA’s New Horizons