May 042024
 

Magellan fixed inside Atlantis

Atlantis, an American shuttle spacecraft, was launched in 1989. It successfully deployed Magellan, which traveled to Venus to map the planet’s surface. Magellan encountered Venus on August 10, 1990 and began taking high-quality radar images on September 15, 1990. It continued to photograph the planet’s surface, making six complete mapping cycles. Magellan mapped about 98 percent of Venus’s surface. It was commanded to plunge into Venus’s surface, still sending data, on October 13, 1994. Children could learn more at: Magellan.

Sep 062024
 

Captain Juan Sebastian de Elcano brought the only surviving ship, the Victoria, from Magellan’s expedition back to Spain in 1522. Magellan’s voyage started September 20, 1519, with five ships and about 265 men. Only eighteen of the men survived and returned on the Victoria. The ship was the first vessel to circumnavigate earth. Children could learn more at: Magellan.