Victoria (crater)

MarsGeo-Crater
name=Victoria Crater


region=Meridiani Planum
latitude = 2.05
N_or_S = S
longitude = 5.50
E_or_W = W
diameter=750 m
depth=Approx. 70 metres.
discoverer=Opportunity rover
eponym=The ship "Victoria"

Victoria Crater is an impact crater located at 5.50°W 2.05°S in Meridiani Planum, on Mars, currently being visited by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. [cite web|url=http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/TRA/TRA_000873_1780/RGBcolor_Full.html|title="Victoria Crater" at Meridiani Planum|accessdate=2006-10-09] It is roughly 730 metres wide, nearly eight times the size of Endurance, visited by Opportunity from sols 95 to 315. It is named after "Victoria", one of the five ships of Ferdinand Magellan and the first ship to circumnavigate the globe. Along the edges of the crater are many outcrops within recessed alcoves and promontories, named for bays and capes that Magellan discovered.

Craters are interesting for scientists, as they enable access to the layers beneath the soil and a means to analyze the geological history of Mars. For planetary geologists in this case, Victoria will provide them with even more exposures of the subsurface of Mars than ever before.

Opportunity traveled for 21 months to Victoria before finally reaching its edge on September 26 2006 (sol 951), at the newly named "Duck Bay". [cite web|url=http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08777|title=PIA08777: Overview of Approach to 'Victoria'|accessdate=2006-10-09] Around the rover were features dubbed "No Name", "Duck Crater", "Emma Dean", "Maid of the Canyon", and "Kitty Clyde's Sister". It also imaged several nearby alcoves, informally named "Cape Verde" and "Cabo Frio", and a small bright crater the size of Beagle crater on the opposite end of Victoria.

Victoria crater may be the last major site that Opportunity will visit. One reason is that the large, deep crater may take up to a year to analyse thoroughly. Secondly, there are few other places of interest in the nearby vicinity, and other craters deeper than Victoria are more than 25 km away. [cite web|url=http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2006/08/29/2646.aspx|accessdate=2006-09-05|title=Cosmic Log: Traffic jam on Mars]

Exploration

After arrival at the crater, the rover undertook a partial clockwise circumnavigation. The trip took approximately a quarter of the way around the crater. The various "bays" and "capes" were named after various landmarks visited by Ferdinand Magellan aboard the ship "Victoria".cite web|url=http://www.planetary.org/news/2007/0228_Mars_Exploration_Rovers_Update_Spirit.html|title=Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Spirit Gets Back Home (To Where It Once Belonged), Opportunity Completes 10K at Victoria's Rim|accessdate=2007-09-21|author=A.J.S. Rayl|publisher=The Planetary Society]

The circumnavigation allowed rover drivers to identify possible entry and exit points, create a high resolution topographical map of the crater and test out upgraded drive software. The rover investigated the layering on the walls of the various capes and the nature of the dark streaks to the north of the crater.cite web|url=http://www.planetary.org/news/2007/0331_Mars_Exploration_Rovers_Update_Spirit.html|title=Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Spirit Homes in on Mitcheltree Ridge, Opportunity Crosses Valley Without Peril|accessdate=2007-09-21|author=A.J.S. Rayl|publisher=The Planetary Society]

Interior

After a planet-wide dust storm that delayed entry into the crater for six weeks and threatened the survival of both rovers, the rover entered the crater at a point in Duck Bay. This was accomplished by a test maneuver on sol 1291 to determine slippage and confirm exit strategies, followed by entry on sol 1293. [cite web|url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-093b|title=Mars Exploration Rover Status Report: Rovers Resume Driving|accessdate=2007-09-14|publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory] [cite web|title=Rover Status Report: Opportunity Begins Sustained Exploration Inside Crater|url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-101b|accessdate=2007-09-14|publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory] During the rover's stay inside the crater, data were collected from rock layers inside the crater and high-resolution imagery was obtained of Cape Verde.cite web|url=http://www.planetary.org/news/2008/0831_The_Mars_Exploration_Rovers_Update.html|title=Opportunity Exits Victoria Crater, Spirit Picks Up Pace on Panorama|author=A.J.S Rahl|publisher=Planetary Society|accessdate=2008-09-02|date=2008-08-31]

The rover left the crater on sol 1634 (August 29, 2008) after it experienced a current spike similar to one the preceded the malfunction of twin "Spirit"'s right front wheel.

ee also

*List of craters on Mars
*Geography of Mars

Other craters visited by "Opportunity"

*Eagle Crater
*Fram Crater
*Endurance Crater
*Argo Crater
*Vostok Crater
*Erebus Crater
*Beagle Crater
*Emma Dean Crater

References

External links

* [http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov Official Mars Rovers website]
* [http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20060919a.html NASA Rover Opportunity Takes First Peek Into Victoria Crater]
* [http://www.google.com/mars/#lat=-2.052630&lon=-5.500030&zoom=10&
]
*Victoria Crater relative to [http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2004/01/24/MER_B_Ellipse_25m.gifMER-B landing ellipse]
* [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070703.html Cape St. Vincent of Victoria crater - Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for July 3, 2007]