Endurance (crater)

Short description: Crater on Mars

Martian crater Endurance

View of Endurance from orbit.

Planet| Mars
Region| Meridiani Planum
Coordinates|  [ ⚑ ] : 1°54′S 354°30′E﻿ / ﻿1.9°S 354.5°E﻿ / -1.9; 354.5
Diameter| 130 m[1]
Depth| Approx. 20 m (66 ft)
Discoverer| Opportunity rover

Endurance is an impact crater lying situated within the Margaritifer Sinus quadrangle (MC-19) region of the planet Mars. This crater was visited by the Opportunity rover from May [2] until December 2004. Mission scientists named the crater after the ship Endurance that sailed to the Antarctic through the Weddell Sea during the ill-fated 1914-1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, considered to be the last expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration 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).[3] During this time it traversed various obstacles, steep inclines, and overcame large wheel slippage when driving over fine sand.

## Contents

* 1 Exploration by Opportunity
* 2 Wet history
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 Further reading
* 6 External links

## Exploration by Opportunity

Panoramic image showing Endurance crater – it was taken shortly after the arrival of the Opportunity rover at the rim of the crater.

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.

Approximate true-color image of Karatepe.

Layers present at Karatepe.

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.[4]

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 view of Burns Cliff inside Endurance

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 the Meridiani Planum meteorite, 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 sulfates) in Endurance's evaporite outcrops led mission scientists to believe that this shallow sea was probably rather acidic in nature, but couldn't rule out that life may have been present at some point.

The rim of Endurance in the distance, as seen from the landing site of Opportunity, Eagle crater

## See also

* Exploration of Mars
* Geography of Mars
* List of craters on Mars
* Opportunity mission timeline

## References

1. ↑ Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Press Release Images: Opportunity
2. ↑ NASA http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/wir/20040502b.html
3. ↑ NASA http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/wir/20041212f.html
4. ↑ NASA http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap041115.html

## Further reading

* Grotzinger, J.P.; Arvidson, R; Belliii, J; Calvin, W; Clark, B; Fike, D; Golombek, M; Greeley, R et al. (2005). "Stratigraphy and sedimentology of a dry to wet eolian depositional system, Burns formation, Meridiani Planum, Mars". Earth and Planetary Science Letters 240 (1): 11–72. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2005.09.039. Bibcode: 2005E&PSL.240...11G.

## External links

* The official Mars Exploration Rover Mission website
* Various papers on the geology encountered at Endurance Crater and the processes involved: [1][yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}] [2][yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
* 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 Planum (panoramic image)

* v
* t
* e

Features on Mars visited by Opportunity

* List of surface features of Mars visited by Spirit and Opportunity

Craters|

* Argo
* Eagle
* Fram
* Endurance
* Vostok
* Naturaliste
* Erebus
* Beagle
* Emma Dean
* Victoria (Cape Verde)
* Santa Maria
* Endeavour

Endeavour|

* Cape York
* Solander Point
* Cape Tribulation

Rocks|

* Block Island meteorite
* Bounce Rock
* El Capitan (Mars)
* Heat Shield Rock
* Last Chance (Mars)
* Mackinac Island meteorite
* Oileán Ruaidh (Mars rock)
* Shelter Island meteorite
* Martian spherules

* Mars Exploration Rover
* Timeline of Opportunity

* v
* t
* e

Geography of Mars and geology of Mars

Cartography

| Regions|

* Abalos Undae
* Aspledon Undae
* Arabia Terra
* Cerberus
* Cydonia
* Eridania Lake
* Hyperboreae Undae
* Ogygis Undae
* Olympia Undae
* Planum Australe
* Planum Boreum
* Quadrangles
* Sinus Meridiani
* Siton Undae
* Tempe Terra
* Terra Cimmeria
* Terra Sabaea
* Tharsis
* Vastitas Borealis

|

Quadrangles|

* Aeolis
* Amazonis
* Amenthes
* Arabia
* Arcadia
* Argyre
* Casius
* Cebrenia
* Coprates
* Diacria
* Elysium
* Eridania
* Hellas
* Iapygia
* Ismenius Lacus
* Lunae Palus
* Mare Acidalium
* Mare Australe (South Pole)
* Mare Boreum (North Pole)
* Mare Tyrrhenum
* Margaritifer Sinus
* Memnonia
* Noachis
* Oxia Palus
* Phaethontis
* Phoenicis Lacus
* Sinus Sabaeus
* Syrtis Major
* Tharsis
* Thaumasia

Geology

| Surface features|

* Brain terrain
* Carbonates
* Chaos terrain
* Color
* Composition
* Concentric crater fill
* Dark slope streak
* Dichotomy
* Dune fields
* Hagal
* Nili Patera
* Fretted terrain
* Geysers
* Glaciers
* Groundwater
* Gullies
* Inverted relief
* Lakes
* Lava tubes
* Lineated valley fill (LVF)
* Lobate debris apron
* North Polar Basin
* Ocean hypothesis
* Ore resources
* Outflow channels
* Polar caps
* Ring mold craters
* Rootless cones
* Scalloped topography
* Seasonal flows
* Soil
* Spherules
* Surface
* Swiss cheese features
* Terrain softening
* Tholus
* Upper plains unit
* Valley networks
* Water
* Yardangs

|

History|

* Amazonian
* Hesperian
* Noachian
* Volcanology
* Observation history
* Canals (list)
* Classical albedo features

Rocks observed|

* Curiosity rover
* Bathurst Inlet
* Coronation
* Goulburn
* Hottah
* Jake Matijevic
* Link
* Rocknest
* Rocknest 3
* Tintina
* Opportunity rover
* Bounce
* El Capitan
* Last Chance
* Sojourner rover
* Barnacle Bill
* Yogi
* Spirit rover
* Adirondack
* Home Plate
* Mimi
* Pot of Gold
* Viking
* Big Joe
* Other
* Face
* Monolith

* Meteorites found on Mars
* Block Island
* Heat Shield
* Mackinac Island
* Meridiani Planum
* Oileán Ruaidh
* Shelter Island

* Martian meteorites found on Earth
* Balsaltic Breccia
* Chassignites
* Nakhlites
* Shergottites
* Other
* List

Topography

| Mountains and
volcanoes

(list by height)

* Acidalia Colles
* Alba Mons
* Anseris Mons
* Apollinaris Mons
* Ariadnes Colles
* Astapus Colles
* Ausonia Montes
* Avernus Colles
* Biblis Tholus
* Centauri Montes
* Charitum Montes
* Echus Montes
* Elysium
* Elysium Mons
* Albor Tholus
* Hecates Tholus
* Erebus Montes
* Galaxius Mons
* Hadriacus Mons
* Hellas Montes
* Jovis Tholus
* Libya Montes
* Mount Sharp
* Nereidum Montes
* Olympus Mons
* Phlegra Montes
* Syrtis Major Planum
* Tartarus Colles
* Tartarus Montes
* Tharsis Montes
* Ascraeus
* Pavonis
* Arsia
* Tharsis Tholus
* Tyrrhenus Mons
* Ulysses Tholus
* Uranius group
* Uranius Mons
* Ceraunius Tholus
* Uranius Tholus

|

Plains and
plateaus|

* Acidalia Planitia
* Aeolis Palus
* Amazonis Planitia
* Arcadia Planitia
* Argyre Planitia
* Chryse Planitia
* Daedalia Planum
* Elysium Planitia
* Eridania Planitia
* Hellas Planitia
* Hesperia Planum
* Icaria Planum
* Isidis Planitia
* Lunae Planum
* Meridiani Planum
* Oxia Planum
* Planum Australe
* Planum Boreum
* Syria Planum
* Syrtis Major Planum
* Utopia Planitia
* Eden Patera
* Orcus Patera
* Peneus Patera
* Pityusa Patera

Canyons and
valleys|

* Aram Chaos
* Arsia Chasmata
* Aromatum Chaos
* Atlantis Chaos
* Aureum Chaos
* Candor Chasma
* Chasma Boreale
* Coprates Chasma
* Echus Chasma
* Eos Chaos
* Eos Chasma
* Galaxias Chaos
* Ganges Chasma
* Gorgonum Chaos
* Hebes Chasma
* Hydaspis Chaos
* Hydraotes Chaos
* Iani Chaos
* Ister Chaos
* Ius Chasma
* Juventae Chasma
* Melas Chasma
* Ophir Chasma
* Tithonium Chasma

* List of valles
* Apsus
* Ares
* Arnus
* Asopus
* Athabasca
* Auqakuh
* Bahram
* Buvinda
* Dao
* Enipeus
* Frento
* Granicus
* Green Valley
* Harmakhis
* Hebrus
* Her Desher
* Hrad
* Huo Hsing
* Hypanis
* Iberus
* Indus
* Ituxi
* Kasei
* Labou
* Ladon
* Lethe
* Licus
* Louros
* Ma'adam
* Mad
* Maja
* Mamers
* Mangala
* Marineris
* Labes
* Marte
* Maumee
* Mawrth
* Minio
* Naktong
* Nanedi
* Niger
* Nirgal
* Padus
* Paraná
* Patapsco
* Peace
* Rahway
* Ravi
* Reull
* Sabis
* Sabrina
* Samara
* Scamander
* Shalbatana
* Simud
* Stura
* Tader
* Tinia
* Tinjar
* Tiu
* Tyras
* Uzboi
* ULM
* Vedra
* Verde
* Warrego

Fossae, mensae
rupes and labyrinthi|

* Amenthes Fossae
* Ceraunius Fossae
* Cerberus Fossae
* Coloe Fossae
* Cyane Fossae
* Elysium Fossae
* Hephaestus Fossae
* Icaria Fossae
* Labeatis Fossae
* Mangala Fossa
* Mareotis Fossae
* Medusae Fossae
* Memnonia Fossae
* Nili Fossae
* Olympica Fossae
* Oti Fossae
* Sirenum Fossae
* Tantalus Fossae
* Tempe Fossae
* Tithonium Fossae
* Tractus Fossae
* Ulysses Fossae
* Aeolis Mensae
* Ausonia Mensa
* Capri Mensa
* Cydonia Mensae
* Deuteronilus Mensae
* Ganges Mensa
* Nilosyrtis Mensae
* Protonilus Mensae
* Sacra Mensa
* Claritas Rupes
* Olympus Rupes
* Rupes Tenuis
* Angustus Labyrinthus
* Noctis Labyrinthus

Catenae and
craters|

* Artynia Catena
* Tithoniae Catenae
* Tractus Catena
* Adams
* Agassiz
* Airy
* Airy-0
* Aniak
* Antoniadi
* Arandas
* Argo
* Arkhangelsky
* Arrhenius
* Asimov
* Bacolor
* Bakhuysen
* Baldet
* Baltisk
* Bamberg
* Barabashov
* Barnard
* Beagle
* Becquerel
* Beer
* Belz
* Bernard
* Bianchini
* Boeddicker
* Bok
* Bond
* Bonestell
* Bonneville
* Brashear
* Briault
* Burroughs
* Burton
* Campbell
* Canso
* Cassini
* Caxias
* Cerulli
* Chafe
* Chapais
* Chincoteague
* Chryse Alien
* Clark
* Coblentz
* Columbus
* Copernicus
* Corby
* Crewe
* Crivitz
* Crommelin
* Cruls
* Curie
* Da Vinci
* Danielson
* Darwin
* Davies
* Dawes
* Dejnev
* Denning
* Dilly
* Dinorwic
* Douglass
* Dromore
* Du Martheray
* Eagle
* Eberswalde
* Eddie
* Ejriksson
* Emma Dean
* Endeavour
* Matijevic Hill
* Endurance
* Erebus
* Escalante
* Eudoxus
* Fenagh
* Fesenkov
* Firsoff
* Flammarion
* Flaugergues
* Focas
* Fontana
* Fournier
* Fram
* Galdakao
* Gale
* Galle
* Garni
* Gasa
* Gilbert
* Gill
* Gledhill
* Gold
* Graff
* Green
* Grindavik
* Gusev
* Apollo 1 Hills
* Chaffee
* Grissom
* White
* Columbia Hills
* Husband
* McCool
* Sleepy Hollow
* Hadley
* Haldane
* Hale
* Halley
* Hartwig
* Heaviside
* Heimdal
* Heinlein
* Helmholtz
* Henry
* Herschel
* Hipparchus
* Holden
* Holmes
* Hooke
* Huggins
* Hussey
* Hutton
* Huxley
* Huygens
* Iazu
* Ibragimov
* Inuvik
* Janssen
* Jarry-Desloges
* Jeans
* Jezero
* Jezža
* Joly
* Jones
* Kaiser
* Keeler
* Kepler
* Kinkora
* Kipini
* Knobel
* Koga
* Korolev
* Kufra
* Kuiper
* Kunowsky
* Lambert
* Lamont
* Lampland
* Lassell
* Lau
* Le Verrier
* Li Fan
* Liais
* Lipik
* Liu Hsin
* Llanesco
* Lockyer
* Lod
* Lohse
* Lomonosov
* Lowell
* Lyell
* Lyot
* Mädler
* Magelhaens
* Maggini
* Main
* Mandora
* Maraldi
* Mariner
* Marth
* Martz
* Masursky
* Maunder
* McLaughlin
* McMurdo
* Mellish
* Mendel
* Mie
* Milankovic
* Millochau
* Mitchel
* Miyamoto
* Mohawk
* Mojave
* Molesworth
* Montevallo
* Moreux
* Müller
* Nansen
* Nereus
* Newton
* Nhill
* Nicholson
* Niesten
* Nipigon
* Onon
* Orson Welles
* Oudemans
* Palana
* Pangboche
* Pasteur
* Penticton
* Perepelkin
* Peridier
* Persbo
* Pettit
* Phillips
* Pickering
* Playfair
* Pollack
* Poona
* Porter
* Porth
* Priestley
* Proctor
* Ptolemaeus
* Puńsk
* Quenisset
* Rabe
* Radau
* Rahe
* Rayleigh
* Redi
* Renaudot
* Reuyl
* Reynolds
* Richardson
* Ritchey
* Robert Sharp
* Roddenberry
* Ross
* Rossby
* Rudaux
* Russell
* Rutherford
* Sagan
* Saheki
* Santa Maria
* Schaeberle
* Schiaparelli
* Schmidt
* Secchi
* Semeykin
* Sharonov
* Sibu
* Sinton
* Sitka
* Sklodowska
* Slipher
* Smith
* South
* Spallanzani
* Srīpur
* Steno
* Stokes
* Stoney
* Suess
* Suzhi
* Tarsus
* Taytay
* Teisserenc de Bort
* Terby
* Thila
* Thira
* Tikhonravov
* Tikhov
* Timbuktu
* Tombaugh
* Tooting
* Trouvelot
* Troy
* Trud
* Trumpler
* Tugaske
* Tycho Brahe
* Tyndall
* Udzha
* Vernal
* Very
* Victoria
* Cape Verde
* Vinogradov
* Vinogradsky
* Virrat
* Vishniac
* Vogel
* Von Kármán
* Wallace
* Wegener
* Weinbaum
* Wells
* Williams
* Winslow
* Wirtz
* Wislicenus
* Wright
* Yuty
* Zumba
* Zunil

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