PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

                     MAGELLAN STATUS REPORT
                          July 14, 1993

     The Magellan spacecraft, after more than 450 orbits of
aerobraking, continues successfully to circularize its orbit
around Venus. The transition experiment to lower the orbit by
dragging it through the top of the Venusian atmosphere began May
25.

     As of today, July 14, the apoapsis, or furthest point in the
elliptical orbit, has been reduced from 8,460 to below 3,200
kilometers (5,245 to 1,904 miles).

     The orbit period has been reduced from 194 minutes to 124
minutes. There are now 11.5 orbits per day.

     This week, Magellan is passing through a phase in which the
local gravity field changes. That has caused the spacecraft, at
its closest point to the planet, to drift upward instead of
toward the planet.

     Project officials said they planned to perform a maneuver
Thursday (July 15) to keep the orbit change on course for
achieving a 102-minute orbit by July 27.

     At the time, the "end game" will begin to place Magellan in
the desired orbit for collecting gravity data in the higher
latitudes of Venus. The fine-tuning adjustments of the end game
are designed to achieve an orbit which varies from 200 to 650
kilometers (124 to 403 miles) from the surface with an orbital
period of 94 minutes.

     All spacecraft systems remained normal with temperatures
well within expected ranges. Propellant usage was running between
10 and 20 grams per orbit, and there was a 17-kilogram (37.5-
pound) margin -- enough thruster propellant to maintain Magellan
through several Venus cycles.

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