Jump to content

Gale (crater)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Fotaun (talk | contribs) at 12:12, 5 August 2012. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:MarsGeo-Crater

Colorized shaded relief map of Gale Crater. The general landing area for Curiosity on the northwestern crater floor, named Aeolis Palus, is circled. (HRSC data)

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 / -5.4; 137.8.[1] It is 154 km (96 mi) in diameter[2] and believed to be about 3.5 to 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 and erroneously described the presence of canals.[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] The NASA Mars rover, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) (named "Curiosity"), is expected to explore Aeolis Mons after a planned landing on Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater on 6 August 2012.[7]

Characteristics

An unusual feature of Gale is an enormous mound of debris around its central peak, officially named Aeolis Mons[5][6] (after having been named for a short while "Mount Sharp"[8][9][7]) 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, there is debate around this issue.[10][11] Observations of possible cross-bedded strata on the upper mound suggest aeolian processes, but the origin of the lower mound layers remains ambiguous.[12]

Gale crater is located at about 5°24′S 137°48′E / 5.4°S 137.8°E / -5.4; 137.8 on Mars,[13] The Spirit rover (MER-A) is at 14°34′18″S 175°28′43″E / 14.5718°S 175.4785°E / -14.5718; 175.4785.[14] The Viking 2 lander is at 48°16′08″N 225°59′24″W / 48.269°N 225.990°W / 48.269; -225.990.[14]

Spacecraft exploration

Numerous channels eroded into the flanks of the crater's central mound could give access to the layers for study.[3] Gale will be the primary landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory[15] which was launched 26 November 2011 and will land on Mars at Gale Crater on the plains of Aeolis Palus[16] on 6 August 2012.[17][18][19][20] Gale was previously a candidate landing site for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover mission, and is one of four prospective sites for ESA's ExoMars.[21]

Images

  • Computer-generated image depicting part of Mars at the boundary between darkness and daylight, with an area including Gale Crater, beginning to catch morning light.
    Computer-generated image depicting part of Mars at the boundary between darkness and daylight, with an area including Gale Crater, beginning to catch morning light.
  • Map of Aeolis quadrangle. Gale Crater is in the upper left on the map. A large pile of layered rocks sits in the middle of Gale Crater.
    Map of Aeolis quadrangle. Gale Crater is in the upper left on the map. A large pile of layered rocks sits in the middle of Gale Crater.
  • Gale Crater, with planned landing ellipse within Aeolis Palus.
    Gale Crater, with planned landing ellipse within Aeolis Palus.
  • Gale Crater-Colorized composite of MOC wide angle and MGS laser altimeter data. Credit NASA/JPL.MSSS
    Gale Crater-Colorized composite of MOC wide angle and MGS laser altimeter data. Credit NASA/JPL.MSSS
  • Graphic depicting key features of the MSL landing site at Gale Crater, and a potential traverse.
    Graphic depicting key features of the MSL landing site at Gale Crater, and a potential traverse.
  • Gale Crater Grand Canyon, as seen byHiRISE. Scale bar is 500 meters long.
    Gale Crater Grand Canyon, as seen byHiRISE. Scale bar is 500 meters long.
  • Layers in Gale Crater as seen by HiRISE. Layers may have formed by deposition in a lake, or by deposition of windblown particles.
    Layers in Gale Crater as seen by HiRISE. Layers may have formed by deposition in a lake, or by deposition of windblown particles.
  • The high mound in Gale crater was probably formed from erosion of layers that covered the whole area, as shown in the diagram above.
    The high mound in Gale crater was probably formed from erosion of layers that covered the whole area, as shown in the diagram above.

See Also

References

  1. ^ USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/nomenclature/Feature/2071.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference nasanews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Mars Odyssey Mission THEMIS: Feature Image: Gale Crater's History Book
  4. ^ Biography - Walter Frederick Gale - Australian Dictionary of Biography
  5. ^ a b c USGS (16 May 2012). "Three New Names Approved for Features on Mars". USGS. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  6. ^ a b c IAU (16 May 2012). "Planetary Names: Mons, montes: Aeolis Mons on Mars". USGS. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  7. ^ a b Staff (29 March 2012). "NASA's New Mars Rover Will Explore Towering 'Mount Sharp'". Space.com. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  8. ^ NASA Staff (27 March 2012). "'Mount Sharp' on Mars Compared to Three Big Mountains on Earth". NASA. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  9. ^ Agle, D. C. (28 March 2012). "'Mount Sharp' On Mars Links Geology's Past and Future". NASA. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  10. ^ Cabrol, N. A. (1999-06). "Hydrogeologic evolution of Gale Crater and its relevance in the exobiological exploration of Mars" (PDF). Icarus. 139 (2): 235–245. doi:10.1006/icar.1999.6099. Retrieved 2012-08-01. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Irwin, R. P. (2005). "An intense terminal epoch of widespread fluvial activity on early Mars: 2. Increased runoff and paleolake development". Journal of Geophysical Research. 110: E12S15. doi:10.1029/2005JE002460. Retrieved 2012-08-01. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Anderson and Bell, Geologic mapping and characterization of Gale Crater and implications for its potential as a Mars Science Laboratory landing site, Mars 5, 76-128, 2010, [1] doi:10.1555/mars.2010.0004
  13. ^ Google Mars: Gale crater
  14. ^ a b Google Mars: spacecraft
  15. ^ The Associated Press (26 November 2011). "NASA Launches Sophisticated Rover on Journey to Mars". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  16. ^ IAU (16 May 2012). "Planetary Names: Palus, paludes: Aeolis Palus on Mars". USGS. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  17. ^ "Geometry Drives Selection Date for 2011 Mars Launch". News and Features. NASA/JPL-Caltech.
  18. ^ Webster, Guy; Brown, Dwayne (22 July 2011). "NASA's Next Mars Rover To Land At Gale Crater". NASA JPL. Retrieved 2011-07-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Chow, Denise (22 July 2011). "NASA's Next Mars Rover to Land at Huge Gale Crater". Space.com. Retrieved 2011-07-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Amos, Jonathan (22 July 2011). "Mars rover aims for deep crater". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-07-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Mars landing sites down to final four - Worldnews.com

Media related to Gale Crater at Wikimedia Commons

Stub icon

This article about the planet Mars or its moons is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gale_(crater)&oldid=505891179"