Magellan: The Unveiling of Venus

This depiction of Magellan's interplanetary trajectory shows the orbits of the four inner planets, as well as the positions of Earth and Venus at the times of the spacecraft's launch and of its arrival at Venus.

This depiction of Magellan's interplanetary trajectory shows the orbits of the four inner planets, as well as the positions of Earth and Venus at the times of the spacecraft's launch and of its arrival at Venus. Magellan will travel an elliptical flight path one one-half times around the Sun before intercepting Venus. A traditional trajectory to Venus would use approximately one-half of a revolution around the Sun; however, shuttle launch scheduling has dictated the longer trajectory for Magellan.

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