The Ultimate Venus Fly Trap

May 4, 1989: A probe named Magellan spins out of the cargo bay of Atlantis and becomes the first spacecraft to be released by a space shuttle. Three months later it’s in orbit around Venus, and for the next four years it uses radar to map the planet before lowering its orbit and getting crushed in the brutal Venusian atmosphere. Get the full scoop on the Magellan mission.