| Gale Crater | |
|---|---|
 Aeolis Mons rises from the middle of the crater - the green dot marks the Curiosity rover landing site in Aeolis Palus - North is down. |
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| Planet | Mars |
| Coordinates | 5°24′S 137°48′E / 5.4°S 137.8°ECoordinates: 5°24′S 137°48′E / 5.4°S 137.8°E |
| Diameter | 154 km (96 mi)[1] |
| Eponym | Walter Frederick Gale |
Gale is a crater on Mars near the northwestern part of the Aeolis quadrangle at 5°24′S 137°48′E / 5.4°S 137.8°E.[2] It is 154 km (96 mi) in diameter[1] and estimated to be about 3.5-3.8 billion years old.[3] The crater was named after Walter Frederick Gale, an amateur astronomer from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, who observed Mars in the late 19th century.[4] Aeolis Mons is a mountain in the center of Gale Crater and rises 5.5 km (18,000 ft) high.[5][6] Aeolis Palus is the plain between the northern wall of Gale Crater and the northern foothills of Aeolis Mons.[5][6] Peace Vallis,[7] a nearby outflow channel, 'flows' down from the Gale Crater hills to the Aeolis Palus below and seems to have been carved by flowing water.[8][9][10]
The NASA Mars rover, Curiosity, of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, landed in "Yellowknife" Quad 51[11][12][13][14] of Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater at 05:32 UTC August 6, 2012.[15] NASA named the landing location Bradbury Landing on August 22, 2012.[16] Curiosity is expected to explore Aeolis Mons and surrounding areas.
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Characteristics[edit]
An unusual feature of Gale is an enormous mound of "sedimentary debris"[17] around its central peak, officially named Aeolis Mons[5][6] (popularly known as "Mount Sharp"[18][19]) rising 5.5 km (18,000 ft) above the northern crater floor and 4.5 km (15,000 ft) above the southern crater floor - slightly taller than the southern rim of the crater itself. The mound is composed of layered material and may have been laid down over a period of around 2 billion years.[3] The origin of this mound is not known with certainty, but research suggests it is the eroded remnant of sedimentary layers that once filled the crater completely, possibly originally deposited on a lakebed.[3] However, debate exists around this issue.[20][21] Observations of possible cross-bedded strata on the upper mound suggest aeolian processes, but the origin of the lower mound layers remains ambiguous.[22]
Gale crater is located at about 5°24′S 137°48′E / 5.4°S 137.8°E on Mars.[23]
Description at NASA[edit]
At 10:32 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5, 2012 (1:32 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6, 2012), the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, landed on Mars at 4°30′S 137°24′E / 4.5°S 137.4°E, at the foot of a layered mountain inside Gale Crater. The crater is named for Walter F. Gale (1865-1945), an amateur astronomer from Australia.
Gale Crater formed when a meteor hit Mars in its early history, about 3.5 to 3.8 billion years ago. The meteor impact punched a hole in the terrain, and the subsequent explosion ejected rocks and soil that landed around the crater. Scientists chose Gale Crater as the landing site for Curiosity because it has many signs that water was present over its history. Water is a key ingredient of life as we know it.
Minerals called clays and sulfates are byproducts of water. They also may preserve signs of past life. The history of water at Gale, as recorded in its rocks, will give Curiosity lots of clues to study as it pieces together whether Mars ever could have been a habitat for small life forms called microbes. Gale is special because both clays and sulfate minerals, which formed in water under different conditions, can be observed.
Gale Crater spans 154 km (96 mi) in diameter and holds a mountain, Aeolis Mons (previously informally named "Mount Sharp" to pay tribute to geologist Robert P. Sharp) rising higher from the crater floor than Mount Rainier rises above Seattle. Gale is about the combined area of Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Curiosity landed within a landing ellipse approximately 7 km (4.3 mi) by 20 km (12 mi). The landing ellipse is about 4,400 m (14,400 ft) below Martian "sea level" (defined as the average elevation around the equator). The expected near-surface atmospheric temperatures at the Gale Crater landing site during Curiosity's primary mission (1 Martian year or 687 Earth days) are from −90 °C (−130 °F) to 0 °C (32 °F).
Layering in the central mound (Aeolis Mons) suggests it is the surviving remnant of an extensive sequence of deposits. Some scientists believe the crater filled in with sediments and, over time, the relentless Martian winds carved Aeolis Mons, which today rises about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) above the floor of Gale Crater—three times higher than the Grand Canyon is deep.[24]
Spacecraft exploration[edit]
Numerous channels eroded into the flanks of the crater's central mound could give access to the layers for study.[3] Gale is the landing site of the Curiosity rover, delivered by the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft,[25] which was launched 26 November 2011 and landed on Mars at Gale Crater on the plains of Aeolis Palus[26] on 6 August 2012.[27][28][29][30] Gale was previously a candidate landing site for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover mission, and has been one of four prospective sites for ESA's ExoMars.[31]
In December 2012, scientists working on the Mars Science Laboratory mission announced that an extensive soil analysis of Martian soil performed by the Curiosity rover showed evidence of water molecules, sulphur and chlorine, as well as hints of organic compounds.[32][33][34] However, terrestrial contamination, as the source of the organic compounds, could not be ruled out.
Images[edit]
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Mars between day and night, with an area containing Gale Crater, beginning to catch the morning light.
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Maps of Mars - Old and New - Gale Crater is noted in the middle of the image.
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Map of actual (and proposed) Rover landing sites including Gale Crater.
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Map of Elysium Planitia - Gale Crater is in the lower left - Aeolis Mons is in the middle of the crater.
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Map of Aeolis quadrangle - Gale Crater is in the upper left - Aeolis Mons is in the middle of the crater.
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Gale Crater - Landing site is within Aeolis Palus near Aeolis Mons - North is down.
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Gale Crater - Landing site is noted - also, alluvial fan (blue) and sediment layers in Aeolis Mons (cutaway).
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Peace Vallis and alluvial fan near the Curiosity rover landing ellipse and site (noted by +).
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Gale Crater - Topographic and Gravity Field maps - Landing site is noted - Mars Gravity Model 2011.
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Aeolis Mons may have formed from the erosion of sediment layers that once filled Gale Crater.
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Gale Crater sediment layers may have formed by lake or windblown particle deposition.
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Gale Crater Grand Canyon, as seen by HiRISE - Scale bar is 500 meters long.
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Curiosity rover landing site (green dot) - Blue dot marks Glenelg Intrigue - Blue spot marks "Base of Aeolis Mons" - a planned area of study.
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Curiosity rover landing site -"Quad Map" includes "Yellowknife" Quad 51 of Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater.
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Curiosity rover landing site - "Yellowknife" Quad 51 (1-mi-by-1-mi) of Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater.
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Curiosity rover landing site ("Bradbury Landing") viewed by HiRISE (MRO) (August 14, 2012).
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Map of Curiosity's route on Mars - moving east from "Bradbury Landing" to "Glenelg" (Sol 302, June 12, 2013) (3-D).
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_-_HiRISE_-_20120814.jpg)
Surface images[edit]
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Aeolis Palus and Aeolis Mons in Gale Crater as viewed by the Curiosity rover (August 6, 2012).
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Gale Crater rim and floor as viewed by the Curiosity rover (August 9, 2012).
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Gale Crater rim about 18 km (11 mi) North of the Curiosity rover (August 9, 2012).
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Layers at the base of Aeolis Mons - dark rock in inset is same size as the Curiosity rover (white balanced image).
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Aeolis Mons in Gale Crater as viewed from the Curiosity rover (August 9, 2012) (white balanced image).
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Wheels on the Curiosity rover- Aeolis Mons is in the background (MAHLI, September 9, 2012).
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"Rocknest" sand patch in Gale Crater - between "Bradbury Landing" and Glenelg (September 28, 2012).
Evidence of water on Mars in Gale Crater [8][9][10]
See also[edit]
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- Astrobiology
- Atmosphere of Mars
- Composition of Mars
- Geology of Mars
- Glenelg, Mars
- Groundwater on Mars
- Life on Mars
- List of mountains on Mars
- List of mountains on Mars by height
- List of rocks on Mars
- List of valles on Mars
- Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory
- Water on Mars
References[edit]
- ^ a b "NASA's Next Mars Rover to Land at Gale Crater". NASA. July 22, 2011. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
- ^ USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/nomenclature/Feature/2071.
- ^ a b c d "Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS: Gale Crater's History Book". ASU.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
- ^ Wood, Harley. "Biography - Walter Frederick Gale". ADB.anu.edu.au. Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
- ^ a b c USGS (16 May 2012). "Three New Names Approved for Features on Mars". USGS. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ^ a b c IAU (16 May 2012). "Planetary Names: Mons, montes: Aeolis Mons on Mars". USGS. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ^ IAU Staff (September 26, 2012). "Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Peace Vallis". IAU. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ a b Brown, Dwayne; Cole, Steve; Webster, Guy; Agle, D.C. (September 27, 2012). "NASA Rover Finds Old Streambed On Martian Surface". NASA. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ a b NASA (September 27, 2012). "NASA's Curiosity Rover Finds Old Streambed on Mars - video (51:40)". NASAtelevision. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ a b Chang, Alicia (September 27, 2012). "Mars rover Curiosity finds signs of ancient stream". AP News. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
- ^ NASA Staff (August 10, 2012). "Curiosity's Quad - IMAGE". NASA. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ Agle, DC; Webster, Guy; Brown, Dwayne (August 9, 2012). "NASA's Curiosity Beams Back a Color 360 of Gale Crate". NASA. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (August 9, 2012). "Mars rover makes first colour panorama". BBC News. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
- ^ Halvorson, Todd (August 9, 2012). "Quad 51: Name of Mars base evokes rich parallels on Earth". USA Today. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ Steve Gorman and Irene Klotz (6 August 2012). "NASA rover Curiosity makes historic Mars landing, beams back photos'". Reuters. Retrieved 06 August 2012.
- ^ Brown, Dwayne; Cole, Steve; Webster, Guy; Agle, D.C. (August 22, 2012). "NASA Mars Rover Begins Driving at Bradbury Landing". NASA. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ Staff. "The Mound In Gale Crater". NASA. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ NASA Staff (27 March 2012). "'Mount Sharp' on Mars Compared to Three Big Mountains on Earth". NASA. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ Agle, D. C. (28 March 2012). "'Mount Sharp' On Mars Links Geology's Past and Future". NASA. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ Cabrol, N. A.; Grin, E. A.; Newsom, H. E.; Landheim, R.; McKay, C. P. (1999-06). "Hydrogeologic evolution of Gale Crater and its relevance in the exobiological exploration of Mars". Icarus 139 (2): 235–245. Bibcode:1999Icar..139..235C. doi:10.1006/icar.1999.6099. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ Irwin, R. P.; Howard, A. D.; Craddock, R. A.; Moore, J. M. (2005). "An intense terminal epoch of widespread fluvial activity on early Mars: 2. Increased runoff and paleolake development". Journal of Geophysical Research 110: E12S15. Bibcode:2005JGRE..11012S15I. doi:10.1029/2005JE002460. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ Anderson, Ryan B.; Bell, James F., III (2010). "Geologic mapping and characterization of Gale Crater and implications for its potential as a Mars Science Laboratory landing site". The Mars Journal 5: 76–128. doi:10.1555/mars.2010.0004
- ^ "Gale crater". Google Mars. Google. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
- ^ Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Mars Science Laboratory: Curiosity's Landing Site: Gale Crater". NASA. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
- ^ The Associated Press (26 November 2011). "NASA Launches Sophisticated Rover on Journey to Mars". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- ^ IAU (16 May 2012). "Planetary Names: Palus, paludes: Aeolis Palus on Mars". USGS. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ^ "Geometry Drives Selection Date for 2011 Mars Launch". News and Features. NASA/JPL-Caltech.
- ^ Webster, Guy; Brown, Dwayne (22 July 2011). "NASA's Next Mars Rover To Land At Gale Crater". NASA JPL. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ Chow, Denise (22 July 2011). "NASA's Next Mars Rover to Land at Huge Gale Crater". Space.com. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (22 July 2011). "Mars rover aims for deep crater". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
- ^ "Mars landing sites down to final four". World News (WN) Network.
- ^ Brown, Dwayne; Webster, Guy; Jones, Nancy Neal (December 3, 3012). "NASA Mars Rover Fully Analyzes First Martian Soil Samples". NASA. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ Chang, Ken (December 3, 2012). "Mars Rover Discovery Revealed". New York Times. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ Satherley, Dan (December 4, 2012). "'Complex chemistry' found on Mars". 3 News. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
- ^ Mars Science Laboratory: Multimedia-Images
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gale (crater) |
- Google Mars scrollable map - centered on Gale Crater.
- Gale Crater - Curiosity Rover "StreetView" (Sol 2 - 08/08/2012) - NASA/JPL - 360º Panorama from 360pano.eu
- Gale Crater - Curiosity Rover Landing Site (07/21/2012) - Video (02:37) from YouTube
- Gale Crater - Central Debris Mound from lpl.arizona.edu
- Gale Crater - Layers from lpl.arizona.edu
- Gale Crater - Image/THEMIS VIS 18m/px Mosaic from mars.asu.edu (Zoomable) (small)
- Gale Crater - Surroundings from HRSCview.fu-berlin.de
- Gale Crater - 3D version by ESA
- Video (04:32) - Evidence: Water "Vigorously" Flowed On Mars - September, 2012
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