2007-07-11 09:06:58 · 5 answers · asked by Girl 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Radar is the only way to map the surface of Venus, and that was done from orbiting spacecraft and Earth bases radio telescopes. Adapting a technique developed for the military for high resolution radar imaging called synthetic aperture radar or SAR for short, the highest resolution images revealed Venus' surface to a resolution as fine as several hundred yards. SAR uses the motion of the spacecraft to acheive a much greater resolution than the radar otherwise would be able to. SAR also makes it possible to get 3-D images of the planet. This is sufficient to reveal a great deal about the planet, but landers on the surface gleaned a great deal of information that couldn't be obtained by radar studies.
2007-07-11 13:27:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The first orbiter, the US spacecraft Magellan produced detailed maps of Venus' surface using radar
ESA's Venus Express is now in orbit with a large variety of instruments.
2007-07-11 16:10:42 · answer #2 · answered by Moderates Unite! 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Radar Imaging
2007-07-11 16:20:38 · answer #3 · answered by stargrazer 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Radar. The clouds surrounding Venus are opaque in visible wavelengths.
2007-07-11 16:19:17 · answer #4 · answered by Dave_Stark 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A pencil
2007-07-11 16:14:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋