Planetary Science

Magellan

382 tracked publications and 14,025 citations from 1990–2026. Launched 1989. Life-cycle cost: $1.7B in 2025 dollars. Active Mission Window September 1, 1990 to November 1, 1996: 193 publications, 15 top-10% credit.

Orbiter · h-index 63 · 35 papers with 100+ citations · prime mission ended 1991

Lifetime

Scope Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the prime mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Every tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. Methods

Key measures

Active Mission Window · papers September 1, 1990 to November 1, 1996
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed research papers we found for the mission. The list may not be complete. Methods193
CitationsCitations received by the tracked publications in the selected scope. The two windowed scopes count each paper’s citations only within its citation window. Methods2,251
Mean citations per publicationMean citations: total citations divided by tracked publications in the selected scope. One blockbuster paper can lift it. Methods12
Median citations per publicationMedian citations: the middle paper’s citation count in the selected scope; half the papers have more, half fewer. A single blockbuster sways it less than the mean. Methods4
Uncited publicationsUncited publications: papers with no citations in the selected scope. Methods37 (19%)
Top-10% creditTop 10%: among the 10% most-cited papers from this division’s missions, ranked against papers published around the same time. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods15 · 1.4% of division
Top-1% creditTop 1%: among the 1% most-cited papers from this division’s missions within the selected window. Not adjusted for publication year. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods1 · 0.92% of division
Lifetime indices · every tracked publication to date, in any scope
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods63
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods100
m-index, as of October 4, 2026m-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes, so it belongs to the date shown; it also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods1.7
toritori (total research impact, from ADS): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Methods177
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Methods359

Tracked publications

  1. Geology and distribution of impact craters on Venus: What are they telling us?

    Schaber, G. G., 1992, JGR

    424 citations

  2. Venus volcanism: Classification of volcanic features and structures, associations, and global distribution from Magellan data

    Head, James W., 1992, JGR

    393 citations

  3. A look towards the future in the handling of space science mission geometry

    Acton, Charles, 2018, P&SS

    329 citations

  4. Venus tectonics - an overview of Magellan observations

    Solomon, Sean C., 1992, JGR

    306 citations

  5. Ground-based near-infrared observations of the Venus nightside: The thermal structure and water abundance near the surface

    Meadows, V. S., 1996, JGR

    305 citations

  6. Was Venus the first habitable world of our solar system?

    Way, M. J., 2016, GeoRL

    264 citations

  7. Venus topography and kilometer-scale slopes

    Ford, Peter G., 1992, JGR

    255 citations

  8. Venus Gravity: 180th Degree and Order Model

    Konopliv, A. S., 1999, Icar

    218 citations

  9. The morphology and evolution of coronae on Venus

    Squyres, Steven W., 1992, JGR

    166 citations

  10. Magellan mission summary

    Saunders, R. S., 1992, JGR

    163 citations

  11. Atmospheric effects on ejecta emplacement and crater formation on Venus from Magellan

    Schultz, Peter H., 1992, JGR

    163 citations

  12. Coldspots and hotspots: Global tectonics and mantle dynamics of Venus

    Bindschadler, Duane L., 1992, JGR

    162 citations

  13. The Recent Evolution of Climate on Venus

    Bullock, Mark A., 2001, Icar

    160 citations

  14. Global geological map of Venus

    Ivanov, Mikhail A., 2011, P&SS

    159 citations

  15. Channels and valleys on Venus: Preliminary analysis of Magellan data

    Baker, V. R., 1992, JGR

    150 citations

  16. Regional topographic rises on Venus: Geology of western Eistla Regio and comparison to Beta Regio and Atla Regio

    Senske, D. A., 1992, JGR

    146 citations

  17. Venus Volcanism: Initial Analysis from Magellan Data

    Head, J. W., 1991, Sci

    145 citations

  18. Chemical kinetic model for the lower atmosphere of Venus

    Krasnopolsky, Vladimir A., 2007, Icar

    136 citations

  19. Tessera terrain on Venus: A survey of the global distribution, characteristics, and relation to surrounding units from Magellan data

    Ivanov, Mikhail A., 1996, JGR

    133 citations

  20. Geophysical Models for the Formation and Evolution of Coronae on Venus

    Janes, Daniel M., 1992, JGR

    130 citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Astrophysics Data System (ADS) for peer-reviewed articles naming Magellan in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces. SciX is ADS’s current interface.

(abs:(=Magellan AND Venus) NOT =abs:("Las Campanas" OR "Magellan Telescope" OR "Magellan Telescopes" OR "Magellan 6.5" OR "Magellan Province")) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[1990-09 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "AIASJ" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NewSc" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Removed after review (9)

  1. 1991AirSp...6...52F Popular magazine feature on a Magellan flyover video; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  2. 1991AeAm...29...40L Magazine news feature on Magellan's first Venus images; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  3. Venus from Magellan Unsigned Nature news item; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  4. Magellan: No Venusian Plate Tectonics Seen Science news item on early Magellan findings; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  5. 1992A&R....29...12S Popular-astronomy magazine article on Magellan results; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  6. Venus volcanism: Classification of volcanic features and structures, associations, and global distribution from Magellan data Duplicate record of 1992JGR....9713153H (same paper). Decision 🤖
  7. Magellan gets set to fill in Venus's gaps Nature news item on Magellan's mapping plans; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  8. Active volcano shows Venus is a living planet Science news item on a Venus volcano finding; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  9. Ground-based Optical Transmission Spectroscopy of the Small, Rocky Exoplanet GJ 1132b Uses the Magellan Clay Telescope in Chile; not the Magellan spacecraft. Decision 🤖