PRESS RELEASE 93-60 Immediate Lori J. Rachul (Bus: 216/433-8806)

Traveling Exhibit "Venus Unveiled" makes a Stop at the NASA Lewis Visitor Center

Cleveland, OH -- The NASA Lewis Research Center's Visitor Center will be displaying a special traveling exhibit entitled "Venus Unveiled: Images From the Magellan Mission." This exhibit can be viewed at the balcony level of the museum now through September 22. The 16-panel photographic exhibit features dramatic radar imagery of the Venusian surface gathered by NASA's Magellan spacecraft during the past year. The photos depict the breathtaking complexity of Venus, including some exotic geological structures that have caused great excitement among space scientists. Visitors will be able to see images of the "Tick," a volcanic structure of a type never before seen in the Solar System, and the "Crater Farm," a region of young craters probably formed by meteors slamming into the Venusian surface. Also included in the exhibit is a remarkable image of Venus' "Arachnoids," peculiar geological features resembling giant spider webs, ranging from 50 to 230 kilometers (30 to 142 miles) in diameter. The Magellan exhibit was developed by the Solar System Exploration Division of NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Solar System Exploration Division is responsible for all NASA planetary science missions, including the recent Voyager missions to the outer Solar System, and for analysis of the data gathered by these missions. The Magellan spacecraft was launched from the Space Shuttle Atlantis on May 4, 1989, and arrived at Venus on August 10, 1990. During the first 8-month mapping cycle, the radar instrument obtained images of 84 percent of Venus' surface. Mapping continues, filling gaps in coverage from the first cycle and covering Venus' South Pole for the first time. Taken together, Magellan's data will permit the first global geological analysis of Venus. Regular hours for the Visitor Center are 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on weekdays; 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturdays; and 1 - 5 p.m. on Sundays. Visitors with questions may call 216/433-2001. # # # -end-