Gusev (Mars crater)
Mars crater Gusev | ||
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Gusev crater planned for Spirit . | ||
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position | 14 ° 36 ′ S , 175 ° 24 ′ E | |
diameter | 166 km | |
history | ||
Age | 3.5 billion years | |
Eponym | Matwei Matvejewitsch Gusew |
The Gusev Crater is 166 km large crater on the planet Mars . It got its name from the IAU in 1976 after the Russian astronomer Matwei Gussew (1826–1866).
location
The coordinates of this Martian crater are 14.6 ° South and 175.4 ° East (184.6 ° West). The Elysium Planitia plain borders at its northern end , and the highlands Terra Cimmeria and Terra Sirenum join in the south .
Emergence
The Gusev Crater was formed by the impact of an asteroid about 3.5 billion years ago. According to the majority of scientists, an ice-water mixture or liquid water subsequently entered the crater through the Ma'adim Vallis canyon, which flows in from the south . The Gusev Crater may even have been completely flooded in earlier times.
exploration
On January 4, 2004, the American Mars probe Spirit landed in Gusev crater. In the course of the mission, Spirit found evidence of previous weathering of the rock by liquid water. This was shown, for example, by the existence of the iron mineral goethite , which was detected with the Mößbauer spectrometer on board Spirit. Whether the water appeared on the surface or as groundwater is still an open question.
The probe was able to explore the crater until March 2010, after which no contact could be made with the probe.