Planetary Science

Magellan

Orbiter · Directed · Agency-led · Launched on May 4, 1989 · Completed · LCC: $551M/$1.7B (2025 $)Life-cycle cost: NASA’s reported cost to build, launch, and operate a mission through its prime mission, plus documented partner contributions, in 2025 dollars. Extended missions are not included. Methods · Wikipedia

Scope Active Mission WindowActivePapers published from the first full month after science operations begin through two years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. For Magellan, papers published September 1, 1990 to November 1, 1996. Methods LifetimeLifetimeEvery tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. For Magellan, papers published from 1990 to November 3, 2026. Methods
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed papers we found that name the mission or its instruments in their titles, abstracts, or keywords. Papers that used the data without naming it are missed. Methods381
CitationsCitations: every citation these publications have drawn to date. Older missions have had longer to collect them. Methods14,205
Citation indices
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. Methods101
m-indexm-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; the figure shown is as of November 3, 2026. It also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods1.7
toritori (total research impact, from SciX): 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. Always over every tracked publication to date, whichever scope is chosen. Methods184
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. Like tori, always over every tracked publication to date. Methods366

Publications and citations by year (lifetime)

Publications per yearCumulative citations

Institutional contributions (lifetime)The institutions SciX lists for each paper’s authors, as printed on the paper, located through the Research Organization Registry. A square counts a paper once, however many of its authors worked there. Methods

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Tracked publications over the lifetime (381)

All publications CSV · JSON

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

    Schaber, G. G., 1992, JGR

    426 lifetime citations

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

    Head, James W., 1992, JGR

    395 lifetime citations

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

    Acton, Charles, 2018, P&SS

    349 lifetime citations

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

    Meadows, V. S., 1996, JGR

    313 lifetime citations

  5. Venus tectonics - an overview of Magellan observations

    Solomon, Sean C., 1992, JGR

    306 lifetime citations

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

    Way, M. J., 2016, GeoRL

    276 lifetime citations

  7. Venus topography and kilometer-scale slopes

    Ford, Peter G., 1992, JGR

    257 lifetime citations

  8. Venus Gravity: 180th Degree and Order Model

    Konopliv, A. S., 1999, Icar

    220 lifetime citations

  9. The morphology and evolution of coronae on Venus

    Squyres, Steven W., 1992, JGR

    166 lifetime citations

  10. Magellan mission summary

    Saunders, R. S., 1992, JGR

    165 lifetime citations

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

    Schultz, Peter H., 1992, JGR

    163 lifetime citations

  12. The Recent Evolution of Climate on Venus

    Bullock, Mark A., 2001, Icar

    163 lifetime citations

  13. Global geological map of Venus

    Ivanov, Mikhail A., 2011, P&SS

    163 lifetime citations

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

    Bindschadler, Duane L., 1992, JGR

    162 lifetime citations

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

    Baker, V. R., 1992, JGR

    150 lifetime citations

  16. Venus Volcanism: Initial Analysis from Magellan Data

    Head, J. W., 1991, Sci

    147 lifetime citations

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

    Senske, D. A., 1992, JGR

    147 lifetime citations

  18. Chemical kinetic model for the lower atmosphere of Venus

    Krasnopolsky, Vladimir A., 2007, Icar

    139 lifetime 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

    135 lifetime citations

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

    Janes, Daniel M., 1992, JGR

    131 lifetime citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Science Explorer (SciX) for peer-reviewed articles naming Magellan in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces.

(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 "ACPD" OR "AIASJ" OR "AMTD" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "BGD" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "CliPD" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "ESDD" OR "ESSDD" OR "ESuDD" OR "GID" OR "GMDD" OR "GeCAS" OR "HESSD" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NHESD" OR "NPGD" OR "NewSc" OR "OcScD" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SOILD" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "TCD" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Removed after review (10)

  1. Venus from Magellan Unsigned Nature news item; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  2. Magellan: No Venusian Plate Tectonics Seen Science news item on early Magellan findings; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  3. Venus volcanism: Classification of volcanic features and structures, associations, and global distribution from Magellan data Duplicate record of 1992JGR....9713153H (same paper). Decision 🤖
  4. Magellan gets set to fill in Venus's gaps Nature news item on Magellan's mapping plans; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  5. Active volcano shows Venus is a living planet Science news item on a Venus volcano finding; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  6. Ground-based Optical Transmission Spectroscopy of the Small, Rocky Exoplanet GJ 1132b Uses the Magellan Clay Telescope in Chile; not the Magellan spacecraft. Decision 🤖
  7. Around Venus in 37 days Nature News & Views commentary on a published paper; a news item, not research. Decision 🤖
  8. Magellan Paints a Portrait of Venus Science staff news article reporting mission results; a news item, not research. Decision 🤖
  9. Magellan Finds a Flock of Venusian Volcanoes Science staff news article reporting mission results; a news item, not research. Decision 🤖
  10. Magellan's success Unsigned Nature editorial on the mission; a news and opinion item, not research. Decision 🤖