After a 15-month trip, the Magellan spacecraft goes into orbit around Venus. Over the next four years, it maps 99% of the planet's surface, providing the first global high- resolution radar map of Venus.

After concluding its radar mapping, Magellan also maps of Venus' gravity field. Flight controllers also test a new maneuvering technique called aerobraking, which uses a planet's atmosphere to slow or steer a spacecraft.

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