Astronomy & Space Fact
Did you know that the Apollo 16 spacecraft were named after stars? The command module was "Caspar," and the lunar module was "Orion." Among the items taken to the moon on this mission were 25 U.S. flags and one state flag for each of the 50 U.S. States. The flags were 4 inches x 6 inches.
1967: Lunar Orbiter 4, USA Lunar Orbiter, launched. Orbited the moon at a polar inclination and impacted on command.
1989: Magellan, USA Venus Orbiter, launched. Magellan was released into Earth's orbit from a space shuttle and then injected into a transer orbit to Venus by an upper stage. Its primary mission was to map Venus using synthetic aperture radar. The surface of Venus is obscured by thick clouds of carbon dioxide that makes the surface invisible to optical instruments. It arrived at Venus on August 10, 1990. Its radar imaging system was able to produce images at 300 meters/pixel resolution.
