Venus surface photographs provide critical geological data about planetary crust composition.
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INSUFFICIENT LEANING
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Available records partially support that spacecraft imaging and radar mapping provide information on the surface geology of Venus, but do not fully establish critical geological data concerning planetary crust composition derived specifically from surface photographs.
The problem resembles the challenge facing air traffic controllers at an airport, when the weather is so cloudy or smoggy that they can’t locate the incoming planes visually. The solution is similar in both cases: use a radar instrument to probe through the obscuring layer. The first global radar map was made by the US Pioneer Venus orbiter in the late 1970s, followed by better maps from the twin Soviet Venera 15 and 16 radar orbiters in the early 1980s. However, most of our information on the geology of Venus is derived from the US Magellan spacecraft, which mapped Venus with a powerful imaging radar. Magellan produced images with a resolution of 100 meters, much better than that of previous missions, yielding our first detailed look at the surface of our sister planet (Figure 10.6). (The Magellan spacecraft returned more data to Earth than all previous planetary missions combined; each 100 minutes of data transmission from the spacecraft provided enough information, if translated into characters, to fill two 30-volume encyclopedias.)
Consider for a moment how good Magellan’s resolution of 100 meters really is.
Erosion and the rocks of Venus - NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) NTRS NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server Search more_vert Collections About News Help Login Press Enter or click the Search button to begin your search. Back to Results Erosion and the rocks of Venus Photographs of the surface of Venus returned by the Venera 9 and 10 spacecraft have revealed the presence of smooth and angular rockline forms. Two mechanisms previously suggested (Sagan, 1975) for erosion of crater ramparts on the surface of Venus might also explain the erosion of rocks.
Chemical weathering by the hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, and sulfuric acids present in the atmosphere of Venus may have been sufficient to erode angular projections of silicous rocks. Alternatively, the contours of rocks containing such low-melting materials as NaOH, KOH, HgS and KNO2 may have softened as the result of exposure to the high surface temperatures of the planet. Document ID 19760048804 Acquisition Source Legacy CDMS Document Type Reprint (Version printed in journal) External Source(s) doi:10.1038/261031a0 Authors Sagan, C.
(Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y., United States) Date Acquired August 8, 2013 Publication Date May 6, 1976 Publication Information Publication: Nature Volume: 261 Subject Category Lunar And Planetary Exploration Accession Number 76A31770 Distribution Limits Public Copyright Other Available Downloads There are no available downloads for this record. Related Records There are no records associated with this record. visibility_off No Preview Available
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