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Endurance (crater)
Encyclopedia
Endurance is an impact crater
on Mars
that was visited by the Opportunity rover
from May until December 2004. Mission scientists named the crater after the ship Endurance
that sailed to the Antarctic in an exploration voyage
organized by Ernest Shackleton
.
The rover entered the crater interior on its 134th mission sol
(June 15), and exited on the 315th sol (December 14). During this time it traversed various obstacles, steep inclines, and overcame large wheel slippage when driving over fine sand.
After arriving at the crater, Opportunity performed a survey
of the crater to plan the further steps in exploring the local geology
. A site dubbed "Karatepe" was chosen to enter the crater and investigate the layering of the bedrock
.
The picture to the right shows changes in the color of the bedrock layers. The layer "A" is closer to the rover and higher than the layers "B" to "E". Texture and rock chemistry
also differed with depth. Thus scientists infer that the age of these layers is following a similar pattern, with the higher layers being younger than the lower layers.
Opportunity then went farther down into the crater to investigate the sand dunes. Various rock outcrops were investigated while the rover descended. It was decided not to drive into the dunes, for fear the rover might get stuck permanently. Instead, Opportunity did some work on some rocks surrounding the dunes before heading back up to the rim of the crater. On the way, it encountered a boulder, nicknamed 'Wopmay', that provided inconclusive evidence that rocks near the bottom of the crater were affected by water before and after the crater formed. The rover then headed off to Burns Cliff.
Burns Cliff, named for the late mineralogist Roger Burns of MIT
, was studied closely by Opportunity. High amounts of slippage prevented the rover from using its robotic arm, however high resolution imaging was conducted with the Pancam. It shows layers of sediment that might indicate deposition by a liquid. The layers in the cliff would later be followed south of the crater to identify it as a geologic formation
, in this case the "Burns Formation". These names are not official until made so by the International Astronomical Union
.
Burns Cliff was the final science stop inside Endurance. The rover had some trouble making it out noticing slippage but prevailed. Leaving Endurance it headed for its heat shield
where it would find a peculiar rock
, which happened to be the first meteorite discovered on another planet.
s) in Endurance's evaporite
outcrops led mission scientists to believe that this shallow sea was probably rather acidic in nature, but can't rule out that life couldn't have been present at some point.
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
that was visited by the Opportunity rover
Opportunity rover
Opportunity, MER-B , is a robotic rover on the planet Mars, active since 2004. It is the remaining rover in NASA's ongoing Mars Exploration Rover Mission...
from May until December 2004. Mission scientists named the crater after the ship Endurance
Endurance (1912 ship)
The Endurance was the three-masted barquentine in which Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed for the Antarctic on the 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition...
that sailed to the Antarctic in an exploration voyage
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition , also known as the Endurance Expedition, is considered the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent...
organized by Ernest Shackleton
Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...
.
The rover entered the crater interior on its 134th mission sol
Timekeeping on Mars
Various schemes have been used or proposed to keep track of time and date on the planet Mars independently of Earth time and calendars.Mars has an axial tilt and a rotation period similar to those of Earth. Thus it experiences seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter much like Earth, and its...
(June 15), and exited on the 315th sol (December 14). During this time it traversed various obstacles, steep inclines, and overcame large wheel slippage when driving over fine sand.
Exploration by Opportunity
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
of the crater to plan the further steps in exploring the local geology
Geology of Mars
The geology of Mars is the scientific study of the surface, crust, and interior of the planet Mars. It emphasizes the composition, structure, history, and physical processes that shape the planet. It is fully analogous to the field of terrestrial geology. In planetary science, the term geology is...
. A site dubbed "Karatepe" was chosen to enter the crater and investigate the layering of the bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
.
The picture to the right shows changes in the color of the bedrock layers. The layer "A" is closer to the rover and higher than the layers "B" to "E". Texture and rock chemistry
Geochemistry
The field of geochemistry involves study of the chemical composition of the Earth and other planets, chemical processes and reactions that govern the composition of rocks, water, and soils, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earth's chemical components in time and space, and...
also differed with depth. Thus scientists infer that the age of these layers is following a similar pattern, with the higher layers being younger than the lower layers.
Opportunity then went farther down into the crater to investigate the sand dunes. Various rock outcrops were investigated while the rover descended. It was decided not to drive into the dunes, for fear the rover might get stuck permanently. Instead, Opportunity did some work on some rocks surrounding the dunes before heading back up to the rim of the crater. On the way, it encountered a boulder, nicknamed 'Wopmay', that provided inconclusive evidence that rocks near the bottom of the crater were affected by water before and after the crater formed. The rover then headed off to Burns Cliff.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, was studied closely by Opportunity. High amounts of slippage prevented the rover from using its robotic arm, however high resolution imaging was conducted with the Pancam. It shows layers of sediment that might indicate deposition by a liquid. The layers in the cliff would later be followed south of the crater to identify it as a geologic formation
Geologic formation
A formation or geological formation is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy. A formation consists of a certain number of rock strata that have a comparable lithology, facies or other similar properties...
, in this case the "Burns Formation". These names are not official until made so by the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
.
Burns Cliff was the final science stop inside Endurance. The rover had some trouble making it out noticing slippage but prevailed. Leaving Endurance it headed for its heat shield
Heat shield
A heat shield is designed to shield a substance from absorbing excessive heat from an outside source by either dissipating, reflecting or simply absorbing the heat...
where it would find a peculiar rock
Heat Shield Rock
Heat Shield Rock is a basketball-sized iron-nickel meteorite found on Mars by the Mars rover Opportunity in January 2005. The meteorite was formally named Meridiani Planum meteorite by the Meteoritical Society in October, 2005 .-Discovery:Opportunity encountered the meteorite entirely by chance,...
, which happened to be the first meteorite discovered on another planet.
Wet history
Opportunity spent about half a year exploring Endurance. During that time, data collected by the rover supplanted and greatly expanded on the history of water at Meridiani Planum, in addition to the confirmation that there had been liquid water here in ancient times. Endurance provided mission scientists with a cross-section of the bedrock on this part of Mars, showing that liquid water hadn't flowed across the surface just once, but was of an episodic nature, and wasn't permanently present, with floods periodically washing over the landscape, and then drying up again. Interpretation of the materials (such as sulfateSulfate
In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid.-Chemical properties:...
s) in Endurance's evaporite
Evaporite
Evaporite is a name for a water-soluble mineral sediment that result from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporate deposits, marine which can also be described as ocean deposits, and non-marine which are found in standing bodies of...
outcrops led mission scientists to believe that this shallow sea was probably rather acidic in nature, but can't rule out that life couldn't have been present at some point.
See also
- Exploration of MarsExploration of MarsThe exploration of Mars has been an important part of the space exploration programs of the Soviet Union, the United States, Europe, and Japan. Dozens of robotic spacecraft, including orbiters, landers, and rovers, have been launched toward Mars since the 1960s...
- List of craters on Mars
- Geography of Mars
Other craters visited by Opportunity
- EagleEagle (crater)Eagle is a 22-metre impact crater located on Mars on Meridiani Planum. The Opportunity rover came to rest inside Eagle crater when it landed in 2004...
- FramFram (crater)Fram is an impact crater in Meridiani Planum, on Mars. It was visited by the rover Opportunity on Sol 84, April 24, 2004.Fram spans about 8 metres in diameter. Opportunity paused beside it while travelling from the rover's landing site toward a larger crater, Endurance...
- ArgoArgo (crater)Argo is a crater located in the Meridiani Planum, on Mars, that was visited by the Opportunity rover approximately on its 365th Martian sol. The crater is located approximately south of the heat shield and Heat Shield Rock.-External links:*...
- VostokVostok (crater)Vostok is a crater on Mars that was reached by the rover Opportunity on sol 399 . Vostok is located roughly 1200 meters south of Endurance in Meridiani Planum...
- ErebusErebus (crater)Erebus is a crater on Mars visited by the Opportunity rover on the way to the much larger crater Victoria. It is named after the polar exploration vessel HMS Erebus...
- BeagleBeagle (crater)This article is about the crater on Mars. For other uses, see Beagle .Beagle is a crater on Mars in Meridiani Planum which was explored by the Opportunity rover. It was located by the rover in images taken on sol 855 , 310 metres away...
- Emma DeanEmma Dean (crater)Emma Dean is a small impact crater in Meridiani Planum on Mars that was visited by the Opportunity rover from sols 929 to 943. The much larger crater Victoria lies about 100m to the east....
- VictoriaVictoria (crater)Victoria is an impact crater on Mars located at 2.05°S, 5.50°W in Meridiani Planum, visited by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. It is roughly 730 metres wide, nearly eight times the size of the crater Endurance, visited by Opportunity from sols 951 to 1630...
External links
- The official Mars Exploration Rover Mission website
- Various papers on the geology encountered at Endurance Crater and the processes involved: [ftp://ftp.lpi.usra.edu/pub/outgoing/lpsc2006/full451.pdf] [ftp://ftp.lpi.usra.edu/pub/outgoing/lpsc2006/full604.pdf]
- The sedimentary rocks of Sinus Meridiani: Five key observations from data acquired by the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey orbiters - proposes a theory on crater exhumation in the region
- Endurance crater and the surrounding plains of Meridiani PlanumMeridiani PlanumMeridiani Planum is a plain located 2 degrees south of Mars' equator , in the westernmost portion of Terra Meridiani. It hosts a rare occurrence of gray crystalline hematite...
(panoramic image)