Paula Cleggett-Haleim

Headquarters, Washington, D.C. April 26, 1991

(Phone: 202/453-1547)

Jim Doyle
Jet Propulstion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone: 818/354-5011)

RELEASE: 91-63

MAGELLAN SCIENTISTS STUDY SURFACE OF VENUS

Magellan scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif.,

are studying the surface features on Venus caused by wind in the planet's dense
atmosphere, Project Scientist Steve Saunders said today.

The movement of dust and sand is an important geological process on planets with
atmospheres, he said. The surface pressure of Venus' atmosphere is 90 times that
of Earth's.

Soviet landers and the U.S. Pioneer probes measured wind speeds near the surface
of Venus at 2 to 4 miles per hour (1 to 2 meters per second). Based on theory and
laboratory experiments, that wind speed is very close to the speed required to move
sand grains on Venus, Saunders said. Accumulations of blown sand and dust can
blanket large regions and produce visible patterns in the Magellan radar images, he
stated.

"The most prominent wind features in the Magellan images of Venus are wind
streaks," Saunders said. "Streaks form in the lee of topographic obstacles by the
deposition or removal of sand and dust and can be used as indicators of the
direction of the most intense winds," he stated.
- more -
-2-

Many large impact craters on Venus have nearby wind streaks that may have been
caused by the violent winds generated during the impact event or that may be the
result of a slower process of subsequent wind movement of the fine impact debris.

Magellan has mapped more than 78 percent of the planet and by the time the
primary mission cycle ends May 15, will have mapped about 84 percent, project
officials said.

Project Manager Tony Spear said a newly adopted strategy to protect the spacecraft
from the heat of direct sunlight has been successful in cooling the spacecraft.
Magellan has been growing warmer as a result of changes in the geometry of
Venus, Earth and the sun and the time the spacecraft spends broadside to the sun.
A strategy, called "two-hide" which results in slightly shorter imaging swaths,
protects the spacecraft by hiding it behind the large antenna and by turning the solar
panels away for periods of time to reduce reflection. The Magellan project is
managed by JPL for the Office of Space Science and Applications.

- end -

Two photographs, one showing wind streaks near the crater Mead and the other
depicting an area of lava flow on Venus, are available from NASA's Audio Visual
Branch at 202/453-8373. Photo numbers are 91-H-301 and 302.

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