Endeavour (crater)
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The crater Endeavour is an impact crater in Meridiani Planum on Mars. It has a diameter of about 22 km and a depth of 300 m. Since late 2008, he was the target of the rover Opportunity, which reached the crater in August 2011.
It was named by the team at Opportunity originally after the ship Endeavour, as most craters were named during the mission by ships of known expeditions. Names of structures over 10 km in diameter, however, awarded by the International Astronomical Union. Larger craters must be named according to their specifications by well-known personalities or cities. Therefore, the crater has been officially named the city Endeavour in Canada.
After the Opportunity rover had completed the investigation of the Victoria crater in August 2008, the Endeavour Crater was chosen as a new long-term goal. Observations from Mars orbit showed that there are to be found on the surface of layer silicates. These silicates are a sure sign of the influence of water. The direct distance from Victoria crater is 12 km. There was, however, tried to avoid problematic terrain such as large sand dunes, a longer route of about 19 km was chosen.
On March 7, 2009 (sol 1820) Opportunity for the first time could see the rim of Endeavour; the border was reached on August 9, 2011, as planned in the vicinity of Cape York. This hill is surrounded by hydrated bedrock. From there, it is planned to go along the edge of the hill Solander Point to Cape Tribulation. There, the phyllosilicates ( clay minerals ) have been discovered, which will then be examined in more detail.
The scientific team has identified the visible features for places that of James Cook and his ship HMS Endeavour visited during his first Pacific voyage 1768-1771.
Geology
With the help of the MRO spacecraft could be analyzed from orbit the geology of the crater rim. In the adjacent cut a small part of the western edge of the crater is shown. This results in north-south direction along the broken crater wall. This consists of basalt (shown in blue) and clay minerals (green). These rock deposits, it is assumed that they are even older than the sulfate deposits that Opportunity has been studied in Meridiani Planum.
Phyllosilicates are formed in aqueous and non- acidic environments. Such minerals have not yet been examined by a lander mission. The phyllosilicates in Endeavour associated with stratified rocks in the crater rim. These rocks may have formed in regional or global processes under the influence of water, and this at a time that started before the formation of sulfates in acidic environments, the Mars rover Opportunity has discovered so far in the study of rocks in Meridiani Planum.
The Endeavour crater was mostly covered by sulfate- rich sediments, which had formed in the Late and Early Noachianischen age, so he must have been done before the sediments. Some parts of his eroded edge protrude through these sediments and thereby securing older layers free.
The tests with the spacecraft could help to understand the conditions under which the phyllosilicates were formed.
Swell
- NASA: Press release (English)
- NASA: Press release (English)