Santa Maria (Mars crater)
| Mars Crater Santa Maria (Mars Crater) | ||
|---|---|---|
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| position | 2 ° 10 ' N , 5 ° 27' E | |
| history | ||
| discovery | Opportunity | |
Santa Maria is an impact crater on Mars located on the Meridiani Planum plateau within the MC-19 Margaritifer Sinus - Gradfeld . It is located in the north-west corner of the much larger Endeavor Crater and has a diameter of about 80-90 meters. The crater is named after the Santa Maria , the flagship of Christopher Columbus on his expedition in 1492.
exploration
Opportunity reached the crater on December 15, 2010. The rover was steered to the southeastern rim of the crater, there it took some pictures and was then prepared for an approaching sun conjunction . The last communication before the conjunction was on February 3, 2011. A week later, the connection to the rover was restored and the rover was able to continue its field studies on the rocks "Luis de Torres" and "Ruiz Garcia". The rover exited the crater on March 22, 2011 in an easterly direction towards the Endeavor crater .
Other craters visited by Opportunity (MER-B)
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.universetoday.com/81838/opportunity-shoots-awesome-views-of-santa-maria-crater/
- ↑ http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/mission/status_opportunityAll.html#sol2497
Web links
- Official site of the Mars rover (Engl.)
