SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY : Odetics Recorders to Help Map Venus on Magellan Probe

Odetics Inc. in Anaheim says two of its space tape recorders on board the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Magellan probe will be critical parts of a mission to map the planet Venus, starting Aug. 10.

The recorders store radar data during periods when either the sun or Venus itself prevents direct data transmissions to Earth. Once the transmission path is clear, the information stored in the Odetics recorders will be sent to Earth.

The surface of Venus is hidden by a very dense atmosphere and clouds. But using Magellan’s radar imaging, scientists and astronomers will be able to see detail that exceeds what they have viewed during previous missions to Venus.

The Magellan Project, launched from the space shuttle Atlantis in 1988, is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA’s Office of Space Science and Applications. Odetics provided recorders similar to those on Magellan for the Galileo mission to Jupiter.